


The prophecy

by Aryadna



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Wonder Woman (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-20 04:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 119,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1496614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aryadna/pseuds/Aryadna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a story with the DC Trinity (Wonder Woman, Superman & Batman) at heart with a little retelling of their origins; set in an alternate universe where the three of them are royals, and must overcome impossible odds to beat an evil God, so full of hate and lust for destruction that nearly made their world crumble. This is also the story of one true love that started young; between a girl who was beautiful as a goddess and a boy who was brave as a knight, but the gods prohibited their love from the start. </p>
<p>Special thanks to Rianna Lauren for her insightful comments.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A tale of three cities

**PROLOGUE**

She was there contemplating the fire, when the flames started to move wildly raising higher and higher, portraying images of sorrow, destruction and shame; she could hear the screams of pain, the sound sent chills down to her spine but then as sudden as it came the vision disappeared, only smoke stay in the bonfire. Scared, she ran out to the high priestess, and told her everything she had just witnessed.

Silently, the high priestess heard everything she said, and without a word, she decided to consult the chalice of destiny, the highest oracle. After moments of deep meditation, the chalice revealed more dreadful images, and then a voice started to resound in the room, explaining the horror that she was seeing.

"An ancient and eternal evil with lust for annihilation had come to this universe determined to conquer all; his strength is such that could kill gods and goddesses alike.”

The priestess shut her eyes, it was too much to take, yet the voice continued to deliver more last words, like thrusts from a blade:

"A mighty and proud kingdom be destroyed, followed by years of false peace and prosperity. A spark of envy will be enough to unleash war, poverty and disease; all the kingdoms will suffer, and will remain that way until three heroes arouse to restore the balance. Only they can stop the evil, but if they fail, the era of the gods will end ".

_'Three heroes….There will be hope,'_ she thought.

The highest priest asked every one of the known gods for an audience to tell them about the prophecy, but only Zeus and Rao concede and only they heard what she had to say: the world as they knew it was about to change forever.

"How are we going to know these heroes?" Rao asked with disdain.

The Kryptonian god was skeptic; he knew very well that the gods’ meddling in the lives of the mortals invented many of the prophecies. However, in this case, the prophecy mentioned an ancient evil, as old as the night with red eyes and a face made of stone. Rao himself had fought a god that fit that description many ages ago and he barely survived. That in itself was worrisome.

The highest priestess resented his doubts. ' _But at least he is willing to hear me,'_ she thought, and tried to stay calm as she told him everything the destiny's chalice had mentioned:

"From kings and queens three heroes will be born, their destinies bound to each other for all eternity. They will represent strength, truth, and justice. Together they will be invincible; feared and respected by all. Only they can destroy the ancient evil or make it prevail.”

"So, their triumph is not certain?" asked Zeus.

' _The mighty g_ _od of the Olympus has doubts too,_ _'_ thought the highest priestess.

"They will have to endure various trials, but they have the potential for greatness. If they triumph, they will bring a new era of peace and prosperity."

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention, now you may leave," said Rao, with a gesture that left no doubt that they didn't want to see her anymore. She hid her wounded pride, usually people treated her almost with reverence, but here among gods she was merely a servant, she made a short bow and left.

The highest priestess was disappointed; her job was done but somehow she knew the prophecy fell on deaf ears. ' _Nobody told me that the g_ _ods believe in nothing,_ _'_ she thought bitterly. For the first time she felt hopeless, because if they didn't believe her, what could she do to prevent the world to end?

Once alone, Rao and Zeus looked at each other. They said nothing but each of them knew they have to get ready for what will come. They both parted ways to their realms without saying goodbye, thinking about the prophecy.

Once Zeus was at the Olympus, he summoned Apollo.

"Is this prophecy true?"

"Yes, Father."

Zeus looked at him with contempt. ' _How did the great Apollo not know about this beforehand?_ _'_  

He was angry with his son, but decided against scolding him. Instead, he appointed him a task.

"I want to know everything about these heroes… find them."

* * *

 

**Kal – Kandor, the Golden City**

General Zod strode furiously trough the halls of the royal palace in Kandor. The king had just made a passionate speech at the senate, yet his words were outrageous. He pretended to end the strict social caste systems that had been ruling Krypton for centuries. ' _Equity, education for all, providing for the weak, sheltering the sick?'_

To him it sounded preposterous, especially now that Krypton was on the verge of bankruptcy because of the constant natural disasters that plagued the country during the past months and reduced the population in half, leaving many of the survivors living on provisional shelters.

Krypton didn't need compassion. ' _What we need is order and discipline…and a new king,'_ Zod thought and smiled, " _maybe Kal, the newborn prince could be that promised king."_

According to an old prophecy from a caste of scientists and warriors, there will come a prince so powerful that he will be known for all the world for centuries to come. His kingdom will be a place of peace and prosperity. ' _But even if Kal is the promised prince, we cannot wait for him to grow…If only somebody truly capable ruled instead of Jor-El.'_

He contemplated the idea as a forbidden fruit. That night he had the most vivid dream, where he saw himself dressed as a king. He woke up with a ragged breath, but with a new determination: he was going to raise a coup against Jor-El.

Jor-El had spent the last few days locked in his lab, busy with some secret project that nobody seemed to know about. The secrecy of the project was odd in itself; it was so out of character for him, he was not a man of mystery, at least not with his wife. However, Lara was in the dark in this case.

She decided to go and take him out of his self-imposed exile. ' _He must be seen in court, especially now,'_ she thought. Since the day of his last speech at the senate, the rumors and in general the political environment at the realm was convulsing.

She knocked twice, and then decided to let herself in. Only she held the key to the lab, the king's private refuge.

"Lara, your timing is perfect as usual," he said without even looking at her.

"Jor, what is going on? You’ve been locked in here for days," she said, half concerned and half mad at him.

Taking his eyes for the first time since she entered off whatever he was doing, he said, "Come with me, I want to show you something."

"What is this?" Lara asked, perplexed. ' _I cannot believe he spent days building this toy.'_

"It is a capsule," Jor explained, as if it was the most obvious thing to notice.

"What for?" she asked, barely controlling the anger that started to boil inside of her. She was worried, the incendiary speech his husband said days ago left many powerful people confused and afraid, and that was not good.

"For Kal," he said, his face suddenly looking deeply serious.

"Why?"

"Lara, the nearby volcano is active, and as you know is completely unpredictable. It could explode at any moment now. I am making plans along with a group of scientists to evacuate the city soon. However, this capsule will keep Kal safe from the lava or worst."

"Worst?"

"Lara, I am many things but blind. I know my ideas did not settle well with the senate, and I am aware that some at court are getting restless"

"That is to say the least." Now she was really worried, this was worst that she could imagine. "Jor-El, we need to do something that brings the people together again, that can make them see beyond their selfish reasons."

"And I thought _I_ was an idealist," he said with a smirk.

She ignored his sarcasm, "Jor, I am a politician and what you did was political suicide. It’s difficult to make the senate less restless, but we can do it if we turn again to our faith.”

Jor -El glanced at her in confusion.

"Let's make a big ceremony for Kal's presentation to Rao."

"Lara..." he said as a warning.

"I know we were against it. But the people need to see who the king is, and that will be a display of power without any violence. Besides, what if Kal is the chosen one?"

"Lara, do you really believe in that old wife's tale?"

"It is not an old wife's tale, Jor. It's a sacred prophecy"

"Something somebody made up thousands of years ago! For every generation we have waited for the same thing to happen, even my parents were hoping I was the chosen one until the presentation day came! Every time is disenchantment, I do not want my son to feel like he is a disappointment, when he must be proud of who he is prophecy or not."

"He will be, you will see."

And without further comment Lara left. Jor hated it when she did that. He was the king but his wife always had the last word in their conversations.

* * *

 

**Bruce - Gotham, the Winter City**

Meanwhile in Gotham, another couple was having a more pleasant conversation about a royal ceremony.

"Thomas, I doubt any ambassadors from Themyscira or Krypton will come."

"I know. As usual, Themyscira sent a gift...and Krypton, well…I know Jor is facing a national emergency with all the natural disasters they had recently. I've already sent a relief brigade, I hope they can help."

"Come, don't be so blue, now that Bruce is baptized, we can send more help to Krypton, maybe even deliver some personally and visit Lara and Jor."

"Yes, we had good times recently. We can afford it. Besides, it’s good that Bruce meets the princes from other kingdoms."

"So it is settled then, we will go as soon as we can. Now, let's go to the fest."

Thomas smiled at his wife, and they kissed. The Waynes were an odd couple; in a world where marriage was a business, they managed to found love. Theirs was an arranged marriage settled since they were born; however once they met, they fell head over heels for each other. Now after many years of trying to have a child, they had the prince heir to the kingdom and their happiness was complete.

Martha would not said it aloud, but she felt guilty all those years when they were childless. Especially because the law of their kingdom set up that if there were once a time when no Wayne will be there to rule Gotham, the seneschal and his family will be the guardians of the kingdom until another rightful Wayne will be found or be old enough to rule.

They left their chambers, holding hands, unaware that somebody in the shadows was watching them with hateful eyes.

* * *

 

**Diana –Themyscira, Paradise Island**

At Themyscira, another pair of hateful eyes was watching intently at a giggling baby. A sinister man was hiding in the shadows of the royal chamber, dimly lit by the light of the fire; his eyes however reflected the light as flames full of ire. Even with a heart full of hatred, he couldn't deny the baby girl was beautiful.

' _A gift from Aphrodite without a doubt,'_ he thought. ' _If only my brother was not here, I may even choke that giggling bundle.'_

"No Ares, you cannot hurt Diana," said the golden god, leaving the baby inside her cradle.

"I'm a god, Apollo, “cannot” is a word that is not in my dictionary," he said, stepping out from the shadows.

"So I noticed, but perhaps you must make an effort to include it. Why are you here, to grant her a gift?"

Ares snorted. "No, I was curious. I wanted to see the latest phenomenon in the Olympus. I wanted to see the daughter of Hades with my own eyes, Brother. Is that so bad?"

"I've never thought you liked to gossip."

"Please, anyone can see the resemblance."

' _Indeed,'_ thought Apollo. ' _How can anyone who had met Hades deny it? The same blue eyes as well as the black hair...'_

"Hippolyta claims that the baby is made of clay and Hera made it came to life as a present."

"She's a liar. Why are you here, Brother?" Suddenly Ares was curious, his brother and the Queen of the Amazons had not seen eye to eye in the past.

"To grant Diana a gift," said Apollo with pride.

"What kind of gift?" Ares curiosity piqued.

"It is a secret for now, it will reveal itself when the time comes," said Apollo with a mischievous smile.

"You are quite generous, why?" Ares did not buy it; he knew his brother was not generous unless he had ulterior motives, something he had seen in one of his visions of the future, perhaps.

"I like her. Besides, I am one of the patrons of the Amazons, and so are you."

"Yes, something I had paid with a large cost," Ares’ face distorted in an immense sadness “They killed my son."


	2. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rao makes important revelations about Kal's future.

The day had come and Jor-El couldn't be more restless. He was against the idea of doing such a display of wealth and power, especially now that his people were struggling; many Kryptonians had lost everything and hundreds of thousands were living at improvised camps outside Kandor, displaced from their homes due the recent natural disasters.

' _Where is Rao when you need him?'_ he thought many times during the past months. ' _Nowhere. He doesn't exist. He’s just a product of the elders’ imagination, something they said to give us hope. Right now I would trade all my hopes for a capable fleet that will allow me to evacuate everyone from here, before the volcano explodes, before everything they love is destroyed, before…'_

"Jor…It's time, we need to enter the temple. Please try to look less grim, this is Kal's presentation," said Lara with earnestness.

"I'm trying, Lara."

His wife looked beautiful, regal in her blue dress wearing the "S" pendant, the symbol of hope and of his house. As they entered, the crowd went silent. He could feel the tension, even the hatred from some of them. He looked at his wife and saw her face calm and collected. ' _She is a politician without a doubt; she is in control of her emotions even when we are facing a hostile audience.'_

They sat at the front, near the altar, just a step below the highest priest, and then the ceremony began.

For Jor, the minutes stretched like an eternity, many times he had to suppress a yawn. Then the last and most important moment came: the introduction of Kal to Rao. Lara gave the baby to the highest priest who took the little child in his arms, and then raised him above his head. With a deep voice, he recited the ancient prophecy:

"A day will come when friends and foes will revere a prince of Krypton, he will bring peace to the world. He will be so powerful that even the most evil creatures will fear him. He will make the name of Krypton known until the end of time. Show us, Rao, if this child is the chosen one."

If Kal was the chosen one, a bright light would come from a large, concave, oval glass that was placed in the middle of the altar. However, after a few seconds, the glass remained as black as the night.

Jor let out a breath he did know he was holding. ' _Kal, Rao may not have chosen you, but for me, you are the one,'_ he thought.

Jor-El was about to stand and end the ceremony, when he saw through the corner of his eye, a small point of light that came from the centre of the glass. In seconds it became a bright, luminescent light so white that almost blinded everyone. Jor had to shut his eyes, and when he managed to open them again, he noticed that time seemed to stop. Then, he saw him. Standing in front of him was the tallest man he had ever seen.

"Rao?" he said, nearly breathless.

"Yes, Jor-El. I do exist," said the god, smiling.

"So, Kal is the chosen one?" asked Jor-El, still with incredulity.

"You know the answer to that. I come to you in the darkest hour of Krypton to warn you that the world, as you know it, will change forever. Krypton will _die_."

His words infuriated Jor-El. ' _He never answered the prayers of his people, and now he chooses to appear only to say that we are about to die.'_

His anger was stronger that any respect he had for the god, so without any hesitation he retorted, "Nothing is definitive, Rao, I will do everything I can to protect my people."

"And all your efforts will be in vain, Jor-El."

Jor felt even more outraged. He was about to answer, but Rao interjected, smiling at him.

"No, Jor-El, I have not come only as a bearer of bad news. I have also come to bring you hope. As long as Kal exists, the spirit of Krypton will live. I have used all my power to grant him extraordinary abilities. Your mission, your only purpose from now on, is to keep him alive and make sure he survives the cataclysm that is about to come."

"I love my son, Rao, but my duty as a king is to serve my people, I cannot abandon them."

"I will help Krypton, Jor-El."

"As you had done before?, " he answered bitterly.

In spite of all his power, Rao was merciful, and he didn't feel offended by Jor-El’s defiant attitude. However, he felt compelled to put him in his place; Jor was a king, but Rao was a god.

"Krypton is my people too, Jor-El, and I won't stop fighting for them. Even though you are a king, you are but a mere mortal, and there are forces out there beyond your comprehension."

Jor-El understood that he may have gotten too far, but he was proud, and a life spent in royalty made it difficult for him to be humble, so he barely nodded. Rao knew it was his way to say sorry, so he decided to leave, but not without a final warning.

"I will do what I have to save my people. You do as I said, and save Kal-El."

As Rao said his last words, he disappeared in the middle of a bright ball of light. Then as if by magic, everyone started to move again and left their frozen state. To his own surprise, Jor-El saw how everyone in the temple got on their knees and started to chant an old anthem praising Rao. The highest priest, who was carrying Kal, was shaking so hard that he nearly let Kal fall. Jor quickly grabbed his child from the tired arms of the old man. He couldn't suppress a smile, as Kal was pleasantly asleep, unaware of the fate that had been place upon his young shoulders.

On their way to the palace, Jor-El felt hopeful, in spite of the bleak news that Rao told him. His son, Kal-El, was the chosen one, the promised prince. That in itself had brought more joy and hope to his people than all the reforms he was planning to make. His heart was full of pride; maybe Krypton will face hard times, but they will manage and Kal's future will be bright.

" _The brightest any of the house of El had seen,_ " he thought.

However, once he stepped out of the royal carriage and climbed the first steps of the main stairs of the palace, he noticed something was wrong. Everything was eerily quiet and none of his royal guards were nearby. His instincts screamed ' _Danger_!' He looked at his wife and said, in a nearly inaudible but commanding voice:

"Take Kal to the lab, put him inside the capsule. Lock it behind you and do _not_ open the door to anyone but me. If I don't come for you within an hour, leave with Kal and go to Gotham, ask Thomas and Martha for shelter and protection. Do _not_ come back to Krypton until you hear news from me with the “S” of the house of El."

"Jor…"

"Lara, the future of Krypton is in your hands. Kal is the only hope for our people."

And without further adieu, he left and headed directly to the throne room, the symbolic centre of the power of his kingdom.

He unsheathed his sword, the one that he carried as part of his ceremonial dressing; he never thought he would have to use it today. The deeper he went inside the palace and near the throne room, the more he saw the dead bodies of his royal guards. As soon as he crossed the large door of the throne room, he felt a chill run through his spine. Sat in the throne was none other than the General Dru-Zod, as if waiting for him, greeting him with a smirk.

"Jor, I thought you would never come."

"Zod, What have you done?"

He barely had time to react as a number of men suddenly seized him. He fought harder than ever, however still out-powered by more than a dozen of men. Suddenly, a sharp blade pierced his lungs, while another dagger stabbed his heart. He never knew which one of the many hands that hurt him was the fatal one, but the last thing he saw was the white floor of the throne room, and from a distance, a smiling Dru-Zod.

Lara was locked inside the lab, with Kal placed inside the cozy capsule Jor-El had carefully constructed days before. She was surprised to see the capsule placed in such a way that it will be released directly to the flow of the underground river that ran below the palace, a fast and secure way to leave the place without being seen.

' _Clever, Jor-El, very clever'_.

Soon, Lara heard a series of footsteps approaching the door quickly.

"Lara-El, open the door, his majesty commands you."

' _His majesty?,'_ thought Lara.

"The new king Dru-Zod offers you amnesty as long as you surrender, and agree to deliver the prince to him. If you do not open this door, we will bring it down. You will be taken as a prisoner, and we will take the prince with us," said a commanding voice outside the lab, a voice she recognized as Faora.

' _To her I may no longer be the queen but she still refers to Kal as the prince. Do they already know he is the chosen one?',_ thought Lara while more than a dozen of armed men entered the lab, led by lieutenant Faora who had a fierce look in her eyes. Quickly, Lara put herself in front of the capsule, near the shift that opened the hidden door on the floor. She braced herself for the worst, knowing in that instant that it will be the last time she will ever see her son; she put a hand above the capsule as a gesture of goodbye and turned down the shift to release the capsule into the river.

"No!" screamed Faora, as she realized what Lara had done. She launched herself with all her might against the Queen, impaling Lara with her sword.

* * *

The oldest active volcano Krypto was just a few miles outside Kandor. Many stated that it was a mistake to build the kingdom's capital so near an active volcano, but the land was fertile, and for many centuries, Krypto had remained so quiet and peaceful that many Kryptonians forgot the danger it could present.

Dru-Zod was about to step outside the royal balcony, ready to deliver his first speech as king. _'Where is Faora with the prince? I need to present him to the crowd; I need to let the people know that I will be his tutor and protector from now on.'_

Faora entered the room with a ragged breath at that moment.

"Finally! Where is Lara?"

"She died."

Zod merely cocked an eyebrow before asking, "And Kal?"

"He is gone."

"What do you mean he is gone?" said Dru-Zod in a low growl.

"Lara threw him into the river. He has escaped "

"What?! And what are you doing here? Go and find him. He is the promised prince, he is the chosen one! Without him these people who were ready to make a coup against Jor yesterday will now be ready to take my head off!"

"General!"

"What?!"

"Krypto… It's erupting…"

Dru Zod watched with horror how the usually peaceful volcano was now launching fire in the middle of a large cloud of ashes and smoke. Soon, everything inside Kandor became a chaos.

Thousands died that day, if not by Krypto's explosion, from their attempts to run away either from the river of burning lava that was starting to flow towards the city or from the buildings that collapsed by the tremors of the earth, others asphyxiated by the smoke and the ashes. At the end of that day, the city that was once golden was left in ruins.

Meanwhile, a capsule bearing the symbol of the house of El was fast approaching a lake far away from Kandor and near a little town known as Smallville.

* * *

 

Rao laid on the ground, completely exhausted, as he had just fought a heated battle against an evil and powerful god mentioned in the prophecy. But even as he managed to send him into the Phantom Zone, an interdimensional realm outside the normal space/time continuum, where the god could live without interacting with others. He knew he had only managed to stall him.

'How long is this going to keep him? Long enough for the heroes to grow? Long enough for the world to get ready? Long enough for Kal to master the powers I conferred to him? I'm running out of time…'

With great effort, he rose and, using all the energy he had left, transported to in front of Zeus.

"Rao, what brings you to the Olympus?" said Zeus, without looking at him.

"I need your help."

That phrase made Zeus turn around, and what he saw left him speechless. In front of him was Rao, but the once proud and youthful god look now aged and diminished, as if someone or something had taken all his vital energy and left only a shell, a shadow of the beautiful god.

"Rao... Who did this to you?"

"The god mentioned in the prophecy."

"Fool, you faced him alone! Why? You know as well as I do the heroes will take care of him."

"The heroes are now but infants and you know that. I bought time for them, for all of us, for my people."

"Your people... you are weak now because they stopped believing in you."

"In a way you are right. They stopped believing in me, mostly because they are dead. Kandor no longer exists." said Rao with sadness.

Zeus cringed as much as a proud god could cringe, and for a moment stayed silent, until finally he spoke.

"What can I do to help?"

"Take care of Kal-El. He is my heir."

"Your heir?"

"I conferred to him most of my powers."

"You what? Why?"

"You will never understand. Kal is the hope of my people, and in time he will help them achieve wonders."

"I assume the exhaustion has cloud your judgment, but I will try to help your… heir."

"I knew you would. Now I must leave, my time to pass to another dimension has come."

"Goodbye, Rao."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love to read your comments and feedback on this chapter.


	3. As years went by

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set eleven years after the destruction of Kandor.  
> The Princess of Themyscira tries to find a gift suitable for a Queen, while the Prince of Gotham learns more about his father worries.  
> 

* * *

 

Diana grew on Paradise Island as the pride and joy of her mother, loved by many Amazons as a surrogate niece. However, not everybody at Themyscira looked at her with loving eyes, to some Diana's mere existence was an offence. Among those who felt that way were Thebe, senator and close advisor to the Queen. Thebe resented the fact that Hippolyta decided to have a daughter, while all the other Amazons were prohibit to become mothers. _'Just because she is the Queen she is not above the law, however, here we are, ruled by her fears, isolated from other nations, with_ _all the men _banned_ from Themyscira, except for the Olympians, of course, who are not men, but gods'_. She thought with a wicked smile, focusing her attention on the perfect toned and naked torso of the God of War, who was standing in front of her.

"Why suddently so quiet?," Ares asked Thebe.

"I have been thinking what a huge hypocrite Hippolyta is, and what a joke she tried to put on us, pretending that Diana was made of clay."

" Maybe you can unmask that hypocrite," replied Ares with a soft yet dangerous voice, while he gently kissed her earlobe.

" How? I won't make a coup against her, in general she is capable leader."

" Will you be so supportive when Diana's time come? She is the princess heir after all."

" Not a chance, I would rather leave Themyscira!."

" Oh my, such a radical reaction," he said with irony.

"Maybe I can go and live with you," mused Thebe seductively, trying to embrace the God of War.

"Thebe, my dear, my palace is not place for an Amazon, besides your home is here," said Ares getting away from her embrace.

"There was a time when an Amazon lived at your palace," she said almost putting.

"Don't go there," warned Ares, with a dangerous tone in his voice, and a flash of anger on his eyes. Thebe shivered, it was a side of him she rarely saw: the mighty and angry god, who could destroy everything at his grasp.

"Maybe we can avoid all that to happen," Ares said changing his tone of voice and with a playful smile on his lips.

" How?"

"What if Diana had a fatal accident?"

"You seem to forget the Amazons are immortals."

"Yet Diana is different. Let's see how different... Soon will be Hippolyta's birthday, and what child wouldn't want to made her mother proud?, specially if she can give her a rare present… something like… the egg of a Harpy."

"Ares that creature is highly dangerous! You know a magical being like that is lethal even to immortals".

"Nobody said pleasing a Queen was easy."

' _You of all people should know,'_  thought Thebe raising an eyebrow, yet she didn't say a thing.

"Why don't you convince the Queen to have a big ceremony for her birthday? Persuade Diana to give her mother a special gift as a way to show how much she had already learn, after all she is an Amazon, even though she is a child, by now she should be more than a capable fighter."

Thebe nodded, and left the room. Ares couldn't suppress a smile. He returned to his palace where he saw his brother waiting for him.

"Apollo, why are you here?"

"Manners brother! Aren't you happy to see me?," asked Apollo with a wicked smile.

"What do you want?," replied Ares sharply.

"I can see you are in a bad mood, and I thought after you visited your mistress you will be happier…Troubles in paradise?," replied Apollo

"Answer my question," said Ares.

"I came to warn you."

Ares snorted, Apollo hated when he did that.

"Another of your failed prophecies? Please let me know when one of those actually work."

Apollo's face turned red. The fact that he didn't forsee the prophecy about the ancient god, was well-known among the Olympus by now, it was a sensitive issue for him, and Ares knew it.

"The things that priestess said were not prophecies, but… random ideas! I told father that prophecy is a trap."

"And yet father believed it. So you came to warn me about?"

"Meddling with the Amazons."

"A little too late for that don't you think?," replied Ares arching a brow.

"Ok, I will rephrase: Stop interfiring with Diana's life"

" Why, are you her protector?... Did Hippolyta send you?"

"No, but I'm full aware that you harvest an irrational hate for that kid."

" I don't hate the child. I hate her mother...I won't deny it, nothing will please more than to see Hippolyta hurt. Diana is just a mean to an end."

" You can only hate something you deeply loved ," Apollo said almost as a whisper.

Ares didn't say a word, but his eyes were beaming with ire.

" I won't go there. But I warn you: if you keep interfering in Diana's life, you are going to unravel a series of events that won't have a happy ending."

" For her?," Ares asked and his eyes glow.

" For you."

" What did you see?"

"Everything was just a blur... many things are moving now, but one thing is certain: you are the one who is going to get hurt."

"Apollo, sweet little brother, I'm the God of War, what could possible happen to me? You are letting those rumours about you lost your gift to see the future get to you. You have to stop believing that every single bad dream you have is a prophecy. Come, let's eat."

"Ares, I'm serious."

" Listen to me carefully: I do have a personal vengeance upon Hippolyta; I won't rest until she pay for the dead of my son. You know I'm not a merciful God, I do have a good memory and the eternity to wait for the right moment to collect my revenge".

* * *

The sun started to rise on the horizon, and the air of the morning chilled Diana's cheeks, but she was determinate to climb to the peak of the highest cliff of Themyscira, where the nest of the Harpy was.

After a few hours and more than a dozen of freighting experiences with loosen stones, Diana could see the nest of the Harpy. Her arms and legs were in pain from the constant effort of scale up; she had multiple cuts from the piercing rocks that left her skin hurt, but her spirit was intact. With determination she continued to ascend and soon she was inside a nest so wide, five grown Amazons could easily sleep in there. With great stealth she approached the biggest egg she had ever seen, so large it was, that nearly cover all her upper torso and she barely could carry it with both of her arms. She was at the edge of the nest when she realised her new predicament: ' _How am I supposed to carry this huge thing all the way down?'_

She was trying to find a way to secure the egg: tying one end of her magic lasso around it and the other end around her waist, when she heard a high pitch. She turn around to see the source of such a horrible sound and found herself just a few inches away from the Harpy.

"Diana of Themyscira, you pretend to steal one of my eggs?. You are going to pay for that with your life. Tonight you are my dinner."

"I don't think so ," said Diana and with a swift movement grabbed the egg, jumping with it outside the nest, trying to launch herself as far away from the wall of the cliff as possible, she closed her eyes in that moment, praying to her Gods. Once she felt how fast she was falling, she opened her eyes, just to see how the Harpy was flying fast towards her.

"That trick is not going to work for you, princess," said the Harpy with a cruel smile.

"You had not seen all my tricks" Diana said, as she put out a dagger she carried inside her vest, while the Harpy approach her trying to grabbed her with its claws, Diana manage to stab the beast with her dagger on the leg. Hurt, the Harpy flown away. Diana left out a small yell of victory, but her triumph was short-lived when she saw the sea fast approaching, she embrace the egg and place herself to be the one who received the impact, protecting the egg with her own body. Once her back touch the sea, she felt like she had crashed against solid granite, soon she was surround by water, desperately gasping for air. She tried to reach the surface but the impulse of the fall was dragging her deeper into the sea; using all the remain force she had, she swim fast to the surface, feeling her lungs were about to explode.

Finally she was out of the sea, and after taking a deep breath of precious air, she was glad to see the Harpy's egg was floating peacefully just a mere inches away from her. Smiling she carefully put her arms around the egg, and almost lovingly started to swim with it to the shore. She was about to reach the small beach near the cliff when she heard again the high pitch of the Harpy, the beast was flying directly to her. Diana made an extra effort and started to swim faster, specially when she saw the immense shadow of the Harpy, upon her. Then she heard another sound, one very familiar: the sound of a flying arrow, and soon the Harpy was gone.

Diana didn't speed down, she continued to swim faster and quickly she was at the shore, carefully she placed the egg in the sand before laying exhausted in the beach. Before long the face of her mother and Artemis were contemplating her, her mother had a mix of anger and concerned.

"Diana of Themyscira, what is the meaning of this?"

_'Oh, oh, I'm not longer her Sun & Stars, she is in full Queen mode'_

"Sorry, my Queen," said Diana, getting up fast, and making a bow "Since today is your birthday I wanted to give you something special, please accept this Harpy's egg as my humble gift to you," she gracefully pointed at the large egg that was lying in the sand.

"Diana of Themyscira, I cannot accept your gift since this egg belongs to the Harpy, and is her beloved unborn son."

Diana's face fall, she was stun by her mother reaction, but tried to stay calm despite the tears that threat to come to her eyes.

"But in recognition to your efforts and to the fact that none Amazon has ever managed to grab an egg from that hateful beast, I will proclaim this acomplish you made will be part of our official history and a chant be sung in your honour at tonight's fest."

"Hurrah for Diana!," shout Artemis, taking the little princess with her.

Unaware by them, a large male figure was observing intently the scene.

' _So young yet full of courage and determination…Maybe she is the warrior I was looking for, one that can made our enemies tremble by the mere sound of her name, and win entire battles by herself, as Heracles or Achilles in their time, but now it will be an Amazon.'_

* * *

Enjoying the rays of the summer sun, a boy climbed nimbly at the large and ancient walls of the Wayne's Castle. Soon he reached the gabble roof, and swiftly he walked within the narrow edges that connected one building with the other. The kid loved to jump the large gaps between the roofs, not even once he felt. He was about to jump again, when the sound of galloping horses caught his attention. Agile as a wild cat, he ran trough the roofs, and before long he was at the main gate of the Wayne's Castle, watching attentively how the royal party was dismounting. He hide behind one of large gargoyles that adorn the castle as silent guardians.

As usual, the King was the last one to dismount his horse. He looked tired, and as he was about to enter the castle he saw reflected on the floor a peculiar shadow, the gargoyle of the main entrance had suddenly grown an extra head. He smiled, as he knew that head so well. He turned around just in time to see how a little boy was standing at the top of the gargoyle, his heart nearly stopped when he saw the kid weaving at him screaming at the top of his lungs:

"Father!"

"Bruce, come down now!," he said more lovingly than scolding. In that moment, all the traits of tiredness left his face.

Mere minutes after, a black-haired boy with a serious face but a smiling eyes, approach the king.

"Sir …"

The king tried to have a serious face, but he couldn't hold it, instead he ruffled the hair of his son.

"My boy, climbing again... I don't know what's is with you and heights. Aren't you afraid?"

"Never, " said Bruce almost defiant, now with a large grin on his lips.

" Not been afraid is as bad as being afraid all the time," said his father solemnly.

Bruce smile disappeared at that moment, and his father that couldn't see his son sad, said to cheer him up: "Come, I have brought you some presents."

Bruce was delight with all the things his father brought him; sweets and toys laid randomly on the floor of his large chambers. But on the top of the main table, inside a big black wooden box and near the chimney was his personal favourite: the most beautiful sword he had ever seen. His father had order the royal smith to crafted it specially for him " _There is not other sword in the world like this_ " his father told him. This was his first real sword, no more wooden ones for practice around.

The next day, Bruce got up early for a horse ride with the King. They went straight to the old forest around their castle, with his father telling him about his impressions of the places he visited; eventually they reach a small hill at the heart of the woods. Bruce loved that hill, because it had his favourite oak, the tallest of them all, perfect for climbing. Few Gothamites dare to enter the woods, they were afraid to walk inside, as legends said old spirits lived there, lurking in the dark ready to kill stranded hikers. His dad however, believed those were old-wife tales.

"Why are the people so afraid of the woods?," asked Bruce.

"Because they are afraid of everything that has a mystery, the forest has its secrets, and one day you will learn about them".

"Why not now?"

"Is not your time Bruce… You know why I gave you the sword?"

"Because I'm old enough to hold it?," Bruce stated the obvious just to tease his father.

"Yes, that is one of the reasons, but it is symbol that you are not longer a little child. From now on you must focus on been a good prince, an example to the people of Gotham, you are their protector, don't forget about it. Remember one day you will have a whole kingdom to rule, many will depend on you. Take good care of the sword, master it but don't unsheathed it unless your are ready to make a lethal stroke".

"Father, are you afraid I may have to use it soon?"

Thomas didn't answer and Bruce took his silence as a yes… he look at his father with concern, he knew in that moment that his kingdom was facing a serious threat.

"Let's get back, is getting late".

His father went to his usual good demeanour, but Bruce knew it was a façade. Thomas was worry, and Bruce wished to share his burden, but he knew his father wouldn't tell him about the troubles of the kingdom ' _Soon dad I'll help you to rule Gotham and you will not longer have to carry all this responsibility alone'._


	4. Diana's training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At twelve years old, Diana faces a hard test.

* * *

 

Polemos, the daemon of combat had been observing Diana for a quite some time. She fascinated him, the little girl had courage, was intelligent and a fast learner. He was sure she was the perfect warrior he was looking for. So he decided to coach Diana in the arts of combat, but without the Amazon's intervention. He approached her with his offering one day she was walking alone at the beach, at first the girl was suspicious, she even tried to attack him, but Polemos break out from her attack easily and that intrigued her. Eventually Diana agreed to his training.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months and soon a year had passed. Diana was the most brilliant pupil Polemos ever had. He felt very proud of her and had learned to love her as a daughter.

One day that Polemos returned to his home from Themyscira, he found waiting for him, none other than the God of War in all his regalia. Polemos could see it wasn't a social visit, Ares was going to demand something from him. As the daemon of combat Polemos owned his allegiance to him, however, he had always been a kind of rebel deity, so he neglected to tell Ares about Diana's training.

" My Lord Ares, why do I own this honour?"

" Polemos. Why haven't you told me about this fabulous warrior you are training?"

"I was about to tell you my Lord, as soon as she was ready."

" Who is she?"

" She is an Amazon, her name is Diana."

"Diana of Themyscira…," Ares said, and his lips turned in a wicked smile, his eyes had the look of a lion that was about to devour a gazelle "We need to test if she is the perfect warrior we were looking for."

Polemos disliked that tone of voice of the God of War " What kind of test my Lord?," he asked.

" One fit for a true warrior."

Polemos froze.

" Take her to Minos, to Ariadne's Labyrinth."

"My Lord, she is too young, perhaps it would be better something like...," Polemos replied almost as a pledge.

" Take her there before the next moon," Ares said in a commanding tone that admit no question " I'll be waiting for the results of the test."

" Yes, My Lord."

Ares, was about to leave when he turned around and said  "And if she fails, she will pay the price of war."

* * *

Despite his doubts Polemos could not refuse Ares request, even though he was a divine spirit, he didn't have the same power as the God of War. So the next moon he took Diana to Minos. Diana trusted Polemos so much, she did not hesitate to follow him right into Labyrinth's entrance. He was very anxious, so he tried to give her with some last-minute advice:

"Diana be extremely careful. Remember a wise warrior uses the weapons of her enemies against them. Trust your instincts; use your training and everything will be fine. I cannot interfere since this is your test, but I will be outside waiting for you to bring me the head of the Minotaur. Here, have this torch. Now, go."

Diana carefully tied the end of her lasso to one of the rocks at the entrance, as she remembered how Teseo got out of the Labyrinth thanks to Ariadne's tread. She entered a narrow series of dark, damped halls. The smell of rotten corpses filled the air and the deeper into the labyrinth she went the odor of dead became stronger, in the middle of the silence she heard the eco of a ragged breath. Soon the sound was closer ' _The minotaur is here',_  the blood on her veins froze when she felt the fetid breath of the beast around her neck but decided to turn around and face him. Diana waged her torch in front of the face of the swine, and he stepped back  _'He is afraid of the fire. Good. Something I can use against him.'_

The seven-foot creature stood at all his height. His eyes reflected anger devoid of reason, and he furiously charge with all his might against her. Diana stood still until the last moment when she moved aside so the monster could bump into a wall. The hit made the Minotaur fall, and as he laid on the floor stunned; Diana unsheathed her sword, she was about to deliver the lethal stroke when she saw in the eyes of the beast a resignation to dead, the monster seem so defenceless, she couldn't kill him, it didn't seem right. The beast was very strong, and, despite the hit, he got up, passed Diana and looked at her with respect. Diana let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and quickly tried to find her way out of the labyrinth.

"Diana, thank Zeus!...Where is the head of the Minotaur? "

"Polemos… I didn't kill him."

" Why?!"

"It didn't seem right. The Minotaur was totally defenceless, besides I believe I earned his respect."

"That beast owns you his life!...Diana you were suppose to beheaded that monster not to befriend him."

"So…Did I fail the test?"

"You did show mercy to an enemy and in war that mistake could cost your life."

"Mercy is never a mistake Polemos."

He didn't want to discuss that with her " You are exhausted. Come, get some rest."

Polemos had made an improvised camp, with a nice bonfire in the middle. Diana was so fatigued that soon she was asleep. Polemos was watching her peacefully sleep next to the fire, when he felt Ares on his back.

"So where is the head of the Minotaur?"

"Diana had a particular approach on the subject my Lord, she forgave the beast's life, and now the Minotaur respects her, she won a valuable ally."

"She failed, and you know that in war the price of failure is dead."

"My Lord Ares, don't you think that is kind of extreme? The girl fought the Minotaur, she beat him, and…"

"She took pity on him, and left that beast alive so others could feel his wrath. You know as well as I do, war's purpose is to end conflict; with her "mercy", she left a dangerous creature ready to take revenge."

"But…"

"There is no "but". I want you to deliver her heart to me in the morning or prepare yourself to take her place. And don't come to me with that old tale of the immortal Amazons. You know as well as I do, there are ways to kill them, use that knowledge," and then Ares left.

Polemos was in shock, he couldn't kill Diana but he didn't want to die himself, his head was spinning with rambling thoughts: ' _Diana, what have you done?; What have I done?_   _We cannot return to Themyscira, if the Queen finds out I have training you all this time, she will be so mad! But that will be nothing compared when she finds out Ares has put a dead sentence over your head, she will go to war against him. Thousands will die. I need to get Diana out of here soon, somewhere where the Olympians have no power, some place where nobody believes in them. Moreover, I need help, because now I will have a very angry Ares chasing me, looking to take my head off…The wrath of an Olympian god... Why do they have to be so vindictive?"_ And then an idea came to his mind ' _If I do this right, I can prevent a terrible war, save Diana and myself and even change my alliance for the eternity; but if things go wrong… I will face a terrible dead'._

* * *

A day and a half had pass since the last time she saw her sun and stars; thirty-six hours, the worst hours of her life. She found about Diana's disappearance early in the morning, and soon each one of the royal guards were looking for her. All Themyscira was on high alert, not a single rock at paradise island has been left unturned, and yet there was no sign of Diana.

"Artemis, any news?"

"No my Queen. We even went to the cliff and interrogated the Harpy, but the creature claims she has not see her since the egg's incident."

"Do you believe her?"

" Yes. I made her an offer she could not refuse. She was telling the truth."

"Maybe she is held captive by some of my enemies."

"My Queen your skills as a warrior are well-known, I doubt any mortal will dare to go against you."

"Artemis, and you know very well, some of my enemies are not mere mortals….Please leave me alone."

"We will keep looking for Diana. We are going to find her."

Hippolyta closed her eyes and sighed. She went to a secret room on her chambers, a place she had not visited in a long time, ' _But desperate times call for desperate measures'._  She walked inside the dark room and stood before a large mirror, she touched its surface gently; minutes passed and nothing changed. She was about to leave when the surface of the mirror turned liquid, and soon the shadow of a tall man appeared in front of her, little by little his features became more clear; he was very handsome, with dark hair as black as the night and steel blue eyes.

"Hippolyta, I thought you never wanted to see me again," the man said with a hint of surprise.

"Trust me, I didn't want to. But I need your help."

" What makes you believe I will be willing to help you?," he replied and his tone was hard and severe.

"This is not about me; this is about Diana. She disappeared."

"How long had she been gone?," suddenly his face grew serious.

"Thirty six hours."

"You have waited too long. Your incompetence as a mother can only equals your incompetence as a Queen".

"I didn't call you to hear your insults. Are you going to help me find Diana or not?"

"Of course, she is my daughter."

"She doesn't know that."

"Yes, I'm fully aware of your tales about that she was made of clay. When are you planning to tell her the truth?"

"Never."

"Never is a long time for an immortal."

"She doesn't need to know. She doesn't need to have the burden of being the daughter of a demon, of the outcast of the Olympus."

"You didn't feel that way when you were in my arms."

"That was a mistake"

"Are you saying that our daughter is a mistake?"

"She is the only good thing that came out of my relation with you. You tricked me and nearly brought the Olympus down."

"I didn't want to bring it down. I wanted to rule it, with you at my side, and with our daughter as a legitimate heir."

"Lair! Are you going to help me or not?"

"Sure, but I want something in exchange."

"Name your price."

"I want to be part of my daughter's life."

Hippolyta was speechless, she never thought he will had the nerve to ask for something like that.

"No"

"I want to see my daughter and talk to her. I want her to know that I'm her father. You took her away from me to the only place I cannot set a foot on!," he replied, his temper was raising, usually things went his way, except when it came to her.

Hippolyta was collected, but she could see the fury of the God of the Underworld boiling inside him.

"You don't deserve her. She is pure and innocent; I will not let you corrupt her."

"She is my only child! Don't you think I had been punish enough for the error of my ways? You left me and didn't tell me you were pregnant, I found about it later, long after Diana was born," Hades' eyes were like flames full of ire, yet his voice was even "I will help you, but you heard my price, and after all you had put me through, I think is a bargain."

"Find her, bring her unharmed to me and then we will discuss this."

And with that she covered the mirror with a heavy cloth and left the room. ' _I hope he finds Diana soon, I know he will protect her, but If he is late… I couldn't live with myself anymore.'_

The God of the Underworld, was in front of the other end of the now black mirror. He was trembling of frustration and anger, ' _What an infuriating Amazon!_ _'._ She always had that effect on him, maybe that was the reason he fell madly in love with her. After a few minutes, and once he had master his emotions again, he called one of his servants:

"Bring Polemos."

Soon the daemon of combat was in front of him, pale and disgruntled but with a certain hopeful look in his eyes.

"Your stupidity put my daughter in danger. Where did you take Diana?"

"To the only place I could think Ares wouldn't be looking for her"

"Take me there"

"Yes, my Lord Hades."

" And Polemos..."

" Yes, My Lord?"

" You did well to come to me first instead of her mother. You will be rewarded."

 


	5. The cabin in the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Polemos hides Diana in the most unexpected place. Bruce fights a warrior who tests his fencing skills.

* * *

Hades was furious with his nephew for threaten his daughter's life, but the fact that Diana was far away from Themyscira allowed him to talk to her for the first time and without her mother's interference. He looked around the cabin in the woods where Polemos had place her, ' S _uch a grim and cold meadow, t_ _his is the last place any Olympian will come; here nobody believes in us'_   using some of his powers Hades created a deep pond surrounded by picturesque flowers, so Diana would have fresh water and some beauty around her. He wasn't planning to return her to Themyscira soon ' _I will let her mother know that she is fine and_ _I will return Diana to her  after a few weeks. That will teach Hippolyta a lesson. Besides until Ares lifts his threat, Themyscira is not the safest place for my daughter'_.

Diana heard noises outside the cabin, and went out.

"Polemos!," she said happily running to the daemon of combat

"Diana!," the face of Polemos was full of cheerfulness "Are you fine?"

"Yes, I have just woke up. Why are we here?, What is this place and when are we going back to Themyscira? I'm sure my mother is worry," then she looked at the tall man standing near Polemos, he was watching at her keenly. She didn't know who that man was, but one thing was certain: He commanded respect.

' _I cannot believe my daughter has grown so much, she has Hippolyta aristocratic nose and lips, but her eyes just look like mine'_. He was deeply moved, he had waited so long to see his daughter and now she was standing  just a few steps from him, yet she looked at him with suspicion ' _Diana, I'm going to earn your trust, and when the right time comes, you are going to learn the truth about your father.'_

"Diana, we are in Gotham, this is a safe place… we are not going back to Themyscira," said Polemos with sadness.

Her eyes went wide, she could not believe what she was hearing. Hades took notice of her distress, and quickly intejected Polemos.

"Not yet," Hades said "You need a different kind of tuition. From now on, you will be training with me and after that you will return to Themyscira".

_'This is odd'_  she thought, it was a rare occasion when an Amazon left paradise island, yet more unusual that her mother allow somebody to take over her education.

"I have discussed this with your mother, and she agreed. Don't worry, you will not be away for long. And when you return to Themyscira you will be a better warrior, I promise you that."

There was something about him difficult to resist; he exuded power, and she didn't know why, but she felt secure around him.

"Now, let's set a few rules: You are not allowed to leave the woods; every day you will train but also you will learn lessons on history, math and latin."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, you cannot be a warrior unless you are well-educated on other assignments too, and one thing else: You will have guardians."

"What kind of guardians?"

"Furry ones, you are going to like them. Now come, let's get you settle in this cabin."

* * *

' _Math, history and Latin done, now is time for the real fun',_  thought Bruce as he put his books away. He had finished his homework in record time, and he felt like he deserved a nice reward, so decided to pursue one of his favourites hobbies: Explore the woods. He climbed to the roofs, and went through his secret exit to avoid his royal guards, other of his favourite hobbies. Soon he was outside the Wayne Castle. He mounted his horse and rode to the hill, where his favourite tree, a good old oak was. He loved that tree because it offered him the best place to see the Gotham woods and his castle. He had reach the peak of the tree when something on the far side of the forest caught his attention, a bright glimmer appeared to come from there. He usually never went to that place since it was too far from his castle, but today was different, so he decided to investigate the source of that mysterious light.

After an hour or so of hiking, he found the source of the strange glimmer ' _I didn't know there was a pond here, this place looks like a piece of heaven'._  Fascinated by his discovery, he didn't see at first that almost in front of him was somebody in a blue hood, kneeled at the edge of the pond, apparently drinking water from it. Silently he went behind the back of the being, wielding his sword ' _I need to have more stealth, I don't know if what is in front of me is dangerous'_  but before long he saw a rock flying straight at his face, his training took over, and with quick reflexes he dodged the rock with his sword.

Soon he saw the hooded being in front of him, holding a sword and ready to attack him. Quickly they engrossed in a heated battle, he was surprise at how good that person was; he was a about to get hit when he decided to grab some loose dirt and tossed into his new enemy's eyes.

"Coward!"

The voice of a young woman came from the hooded creature, and that shocked him. He paid for that distraction, because with a swift movement he was knock down and his sword felt of his grasp, afterwards, his back hit the floor with a sound thud; he felt all the weight of the girl's feet on his chest. Then her hood came off, and he could see her face. He was taken aback; she was incredible beautiful, her eyes were deep blue and bright as sapphires, her long black hair cascade through her shoulders like an obscure velvet curtain. At twelve years old, he would never thought of a girl as pretty or attractive, but she was different from all the others he had seen before at court or in the countryside. Even now that she was towering him, holding a sword practically an inch from his neck, he could only think she looked gorgeous and fierce ' _Is that how angels look like, mighty and lovely? Is she an angel?'_

"Who are you?," asked Bruce almost breathlessly.

The girl looked at him perplexed.

" I'm an Amazon. Who are you, and what you are doing here?. Speak!," she demanded.

"I will be the one who make the questions here. After all you are in my land."

"Are you the owner of this forest?"

"I'm its protector, I'm Bruce Wayne," said the dark-haired boy, with a certain amount of arrogance. However, the girl remained unflappable. That surprised Bruce, usually when he said his name people tend to treat him with reverence, yet this young woman simply look at him with indifference.

"You say you are a "protector" and yet you sneak behind my back as a thief welding your sword?"

Bruce realised that was wrong, he remembered his father words ' _D _on't_  use a sword unless you are ready to deliver a lethal stroke'_, he put his arms in the air to stress the fact he meant no harm.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I've just wanted to see who was in here."

" Umh!," that was all she said but she let her guard low and got her foot out of his chest. Slowly he got up, and pick up his sword, putting it on his belt.

" What are you doing here?," he asked out of curiosity.

" That is not your concern little man," said the girl, almost with disdain.

" I'm not a little man, my name is Bruce. And it is my concern since you are in my woods"

She reflected on that,  ' _If the roles were reverse and he appeared out of the blue at Themyscira , maybe my first reaction will be the same'_. So she decided to tell him the truth.

" If you must know, I am training to be a warrior," she said with pride.

" Girls are not warriors," he said as an automatic response.

"Amazons are warriors since birth!," she looked deeply offended and started to walk away from him.

' _Great Bruce, you insulted he_ r,' he thought. He didn't mean to upset her, but in his world, all the girls he had met before dreamt about fancy dresses; played with dolls and not with swords, and never talked more than two words to him without giggling.

"Wait! I didn't mean to offend you, besides you haven't told me your name," he said walking fast after her.

" Why would I?," she replied arching a brow.

" Because is the most basic of manners, or they don't teach that to Amazons?."

" Diana, " she said in a barely audible voice, repressing her irritation.

" I beg your pardon…I didn't hear you well, did you said "Moana"?"

" Diana!," she said almost yelling. Bruce kept a serious face but he was laughing inside, he didn't know why, but it pleased him to wind her up.

" Nice to meet you Diana," he said in his most sweet voice with a charming smile, and made a small bow as he did when he meet a lady at court.

" You are quite irritating, " said Diana without been the least impress by his sudden display of cortesy.

" Yes, I've been told that before," he said with a smug look on his face.

' _Such an infuriating little man...'_  thought Diana sticking out her tongue at him.

" Hey, that was uncalled!," he was about to say more, when he noticed a pair of angry red eyes looking at him, soon he was surround by a pack of fierce wolves, showing their fangs at him, ready to attack.

" Don't hurt him!," said Diana placing herself between him and the wolves "He was just leaving."

"Leaving? I'm not leaving you here with a pack of angry wolves!," he said before he could process the words, for some reason he felt quite protective of this girl.

" They are not going to hurt me, but … they may as well bite you."

" I won't leave," he said with determination and crossed his arms over his chest. Diana found that somehow sweet; this little mortal was trying to defend her so she changed her tone of voice.

" Please leave, is better this way. I will be fine, trust me," she said while pushing him away into the dense woods.

Bruce was reluctant, he was not a coward, and certainly did not want the girl, Diana, think less of him, but she kept pushing him outside the meadows and into the shadows of the forest, he was surprise of how strong she was, despite her slender figure. So after a while, he left, not without looking back from time to time, to see if the girl was still unharmed.

"I'm fine, go!," Diana said louder. Once Bruce was out of sight the demeanour of the wolves changed completely, they behave like a bunch of lovely puppies.

" You scared the life out of that boy," she said with ruffling the furry ear of one of them, while other of the wolves licked her cheek.

" Diana!," she heard the voice of his new tutor calling her.

"He is here. Please don't tell him about this," she whispered at the wolves "He will get upset and for nothing. I doubt we are going to see that boy again."


	6. Legends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana makes a new friend, who teaches her that some Amazon’s legends are wrong.

* * *

For the first time in his life he couldn't sleep, he kept rolling around in his bed; the recent events replayed in his head. That day he had an amazing adventure, he met the strangest and certainly the most beautiful girl, he had ever seen: one that was training to be a warrior and that had wolves as pets; one that hurt his pride, since he had never been so easily defeated in fencing. One that he just couldn't stop thinking about; ' _Would she be all right? After all I left her with a pack of fierce wolves… What am I thinking? Of course she is fine'_ , but he wasn't sure, and the doubt was like an irking itch that didn't go away.

The next morning he was visibly tired and in a grumpy mood, which surprised Alfred, Bruce was the most dedicated pupil he ever had, and that day he was terribly distracted. In order to bring his attention back, Alfred decided to ask him a question about one of his favourite subjects: chemistry, but instead of a response, he only heard Bruce musing to himself.

" I'm not going after her, if she wants to be alone wandering in the woods with wolves, fine! I'm never going to act like a lovesick puppy dog...over some silly girl," he said with all the resolution his young years could muster.

Alfred could not help but to smile, ' _Oh dear, I believe someone caught his attention'._ After witnessing the increase agitation of the young prince, Alfred decided to ask:

"What is her name? "

" Uh?"

" The name of this "silly" girl you met."

" Diana. "

Alfred did not ask any further, the prince was obviously disconcert, and he knew well it was useless to force him to speak about his feelings. Even at this young age he was very private and reserved, except when he was around his mother; if Bruce had a secret, he would share it with her. Seeing he wasn't going to have any of Bruce attention for the day, Alfred decided to dismiss his young pupil. Bruce ran as quickly as he could, went to his secret pass way to get out of his castle, mounted his horse and rode to the forest, straight to the meadows, where the heavenly pound was, where the "silly girl" he couldn't stop thinking about was.

' _I have to check upon on her, she is inside my woods, and as a prince is my duty to look after the people in my lands',_  He thought trying to justify his actions, but deep down he knew he just wanted to see her again. He dismounted his horse a couple of yards away from the pound, and walked with caution; then he saw her, she was more beautiful than he remembered, and he couldn't help but looking at her mesmerized.

She was doing some sort of exercise, but since she was very graceful, it looked like ballet. He was in trance, contemplating her, and then her voice took him out of the spell.

"You are back!," she said smiling at him.

"Yeah, I wanted to see if you were all right," he shyly replied, trying to avoid looking at her directly in the eyes "Where are the wolves?"

"Hunting…They will not attack you if you show them respect, you know?."

" Respect?."

"Yes, respect and not fear."

"Ok, I will do that. What are you doing now?"

" I'm training pankration."

"What is that?"

" It's an ancient technique of fighting we practice at Themyscira."

" Themyscira?"

" My home."

" Would you mind to show me some movements?"

She hesitated, but agreed in the end "Sure, why not?"

At first, Bruce was clumsy trying to emulate the way she moved, but soon he got a hold on the technique and was doing the basic postures accurately.

"Good! You learn fast, " she said smiling at him. 

"I have a good teacher," he replied and tried to look collected but he was almost blushing by her compliment, "however, I'm better at fencing," he said with arrogance trying to compensate the odd feeling of embarrassment that enveloped him.

"Not particularly, but you do have some nice moves," she said annoyed by his self-satisfied look.

"What are you talking about? I almost beat you yesterday," he said visibly surprised.

"That was merely because you tossed dirt into my eyes," she said irritated.

Bruce remembered the awkward moment, and cringed. Then an idea came to his mind.

"Ok, it's a draw. What don't we practice together? We both could learn each others techniques and improve."

"I don't know."

"Come on, it will be fun…Or are you afraid?"

" Of you little man?, of course not!"

" My name is Bruce, Diana."

"Ok, we will practice, but not today, I have to train with my tutor."

" Tomorrow?," he asked hopefully.

"Yes, in the afternoon."

"Good, so it's settle."

" Diana, where are you?," called her a deep baritone voice.

" I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow Bruce."

" See you tomorrow Diana."

Bruce left with a wide smile and a happy feeling, he didn't know why, but his heart was beating faster. The next days he started a new routine: He attended his lessons, did his homework as fast as he could, and afterwards left in a hurry directly to the meadows, where the pound was. The first days they fenced for hours until dusk, but after a while they started to dedicate more time to explore the woods, and to play with the wolves. Oh how did he enjoy his time with her! He told her all the Gotham's legends and stories he knew and together they invented new games.

* * *

The following weeks Bruce returned to his castle every day, tired, often with mud on his boots and dirt on his face, but with a wide grin and joy in his eyes. The Queen was a little sad, his son didn't share with her the reason of his sudden good humour. Unable to remain idle on the subject, she decided to wait for him at his chambers, at the end of that day.

That same day Bruce and Diana decided to explore a cave in the darkest part of the forest. They were excited about it. Carefully they entered the cavern and although they had torches, it was pitch black. Diana saw everything just fine, Bruce, on the other hand, could barely see what was in front of him. Suddenly Diana stopped, something caught her attention, there was a shiny thing on the floor.

"Look!, it's a small coat of arms," she said to Bruce.

"Do you recognize it?"

"I've never seen this symbol before, it looks like a crown with a bat on the top."

"A bat? that is weird I've never seen bats around hereee.."

"Bruce!"

Distracted by the shiny object Bruce didn't see a hole on the floor, and now he was falling fast inside of it; suddenly he came to a halt, something mushy had slow his fall. He was trying to get up, when he felt something like jelly on his back ' _I don't even want to know what is that'_  he thought.

" Bruce, are you all right?!," shouted anxiously Diana.

" Yeah, I'm fine, nothing broken," he replied in an almost playful voice in order not to worry her 'A _lthough I'm up to my ears with something smelly, I hope you don't mind',_  he thought with disgust.

" Great!," Diana said visibly relief "I'll get you out of there in a minute. Take the end of my lasso, and tie it around your waist."

He was finishing of tying her lasso around his waist when a peculiar high pitch got louder and louder, soon he was surround by flying bats, which hit him with their wings. He had never seen so many of them, and he felt a wave of fear, his palms started to sweat and his heart was pumping hard, he was out of breath, and his head started to spin around, soon he blacked out.

When he opened his eyes, he had the tickling sensation of the wings of the bats on his skin, as if they were crawling and piercing his arms with their little claws; he tried to get ride of them.

" Get them off me! Get them off me!"

" Bruce, calm down everything is all right now, there are not bats here."

Diana was deeply alarmed since his eyes had such a wild look. He fainted and was unconscious when she brought him out of the cave.

" Bruce, listen to me. Please, calm down."

Desperate, she started to hum an ancient Themysciran song, as her mother did when she was little and got afraid of the thunder sound. In a little while, the crazy look on Bruce's eyes despaired. His eyes then focus on Diana, on her bright and deep blue sapphire eyes.

" Diana," he said in a whisper, totally caught on her spell.

She smiled at him, and all his fears vanished. Then he realised he was hugging her tidily, like a castaway to a wooden board. He released her in that moment.

" You are afraid of bats, " she assured.

He didn't say a thing, he was so embarrassed. ' _What she would think of me? She will think I'm a coward'._

" It's okay. But I believe bats are misunderstood animals."

" They are awful, useless creatures, they don't deserve to live."

" Don't say that. Bats are in fact very helpful."

" I don't see how."

" Thanks to a humble bat's intervention, the king of Aragon was able to win a crucial battle against the Saracens that allowed him to win Valencia for his kingdom."

" You are making that up."

" No! That is what the legend says. Why would I lie to you?"

" To cheer me up?," he asked hopefully.

" Come, is getting late," she said and held his hand to guide him back to the pound.

His heart missed a beat when he felt her warm hand on his. He didn't know how long they walked holding hands, but all that time he felt a joyousness like he never felt before. They reached the pound faster that he wanted.

"Take care Bruce, I'll see you tomorrow."

" I'll see tomorrow Diana."

* * *

When he arrived at his castle, he was surprise to see his mother waiting for him. She was angry, but when she turned around to glare at him her face transfigured in worrisome.

" Oh my God!, Bruce what happened to you? Are you hurt?"

" No," he shrugged.

" You are all dirty, and bruised, and that smell…Bruce, what have you been doing all this time?"

" Nothing, just wondering in the woods"

"Alone?"

The question took him by surprised, " No ," he said seriously. He could not lie to his mother.

" Who is she?"

" How did you?..."

Her mother looked at him arching an eyebrow.

"Her name is Diana, she lives in a cabin in the woods."

" By her self? That is dangerous."

He smirked as if he remembered a private joke "Diana is an Amazon. She is training to be a warrior, besides she has a tutor with her, and of course, there is me," he said with smugness.

"You?"

" Yes, I'm her friend, and I visit her every day. "

That affirmation stunned Martha, his son didn't make friends easily, and certainly this was the first time he had a female friend.

" I would love to meet Diana. Why don't you invite her to have dinner with us?"

" Really?," his eyes went wide, the idea was so great, he imagined all the fun things they could do at the castle.

" Yes. Invite her to have dinner with us the day after tomorrow."

" Great! I'm sure you are going to like her."

" She must be a very special girl if you consider her your friend."

" She is, mum."

Martha noticed the way his eyes sparkled when he talked about Diana. She was intrigued. Who was this little girl who captured Bruce's heart?

* * *

The next day when Bruce arrived to the meadows, he was excited, but soon became disappointed when he didn't see Diana. For him that her mother asked him to invite her to dinne at the Castle, was a huge thing, she had never done that before, but Diana was the first real close friend he had.

He kept looking for her until he found her outside the meadows, sitting in the ground with her back at a tree, her knees close to her chest and a lost look on her face.

" Diana. What's wrong?."

She didn't look at him, she was lost in her own thoughts, but then she saw him and snap of it and smiled at him.

" Bruce."

" Diana. What happened, why you are here?."

She didn't speak, he could tell she was trying to control her emotions, but he could see she was conflicted.

" My master says my training here is coming to an end."

" Oh!," he felt like someone punched him in the stomach " You are leaving?"

" Yes, in a week."

They went silent; Bruce felt a heavy burden on his chest, not even once had occur to him that she could leave.

" Back to Themyscira?"

" No. "

" Where are you going then? "

She bit her lip. He found that odd, it was the first time she looked nervous.

" To Hades' realm ."

" Hades' realm?," he never heard of such a place.

" Is the underworld ."

" What?!"

" My tutor says is that will be the last phase of my training. He says I should not believe in the terrible legends about the Underworld and Hades. He says I will be just fine."

Then he comprehend, she was afraid.

"But you don't believe it"

" I…trust him. He is my tutor, if he says is fine…"

" You are afraid, " he stated.

She looked at him with disconcert, surprised he could see her fears, she never thought of herself to be so transparent.

Bruce, didn't want to see her like that, so fragile, then an idea came to his mind.

" You don't have to go there if you don't want to."

" What?"

" I have the perfect solution. And you will not have to live in this cabin anymore either. I was going to invite you to have dinner with my mum and me, tomorrow. You can come and live with us. We live in a large castle; you will have your own private chambers. And my father has a big fleet, we can take you back to Themyscira, and then you won't have to go the Underworld," he said with a large grin, satisfied with his plan.

" Bruce, I can't"

" Why not?"

" I will dishonour my people if I do that. As their princess I must rule by example, I must complete my training."

" Princess?"

" I guess… I've never told you that."

There was an uncomfortable silence. He was so frustrated, he didn't want to part ways from her because he had the feeling he will never see her again. As an impulse he undone a silver chain with a stylized W he used to wear around his neck for as long as he could remember. Then he took her hand and drop in her palm the silver chain.

" What is this?"

" Is something I have worn for as long as I remember, is the symbol of my house, a "W" for Wayne. I have always believe it protects me. I'm sure it will protect you when you travel to the underworld."

" Bruce, I cannot accept this."

" Think of it as a loan, you will give it back to me after your test, when we met again."

" Ok, that I can accept. I guess I should give you something in exchange."

" You don't have to."

" Please take this," she show him the small coat of arms she found in the cave "As a loan, until we met again."

" Sure, why not?"

He looked at her in the eyes, her deep blue eyes and saw nothing but sorrow and he felt as if some gigantic hand was crushing his heart. Then he remembered the dinner invitation.

"You are still having dinner with us. And I will take no for an answer," he said in a commanding tone.

Diana smiled ' _Such an infuriating little man…And maybe I'll never see him again'_ , the thought of it made her so sad. Bruce could see that in her eyes, and he tried to cheer her up.

"Diana, don't worry. You are the bravest person I've ever meet. I'm sure you will pass any test"

" Thank you Bruce," she said, deeply touched by his words, and hugged him.

Soon her scent enveloped him, she smelt exquisitely. He gently stoke her back, and slowly part a little from her embrace. He wanted to see her lovely face; he never thought somebody could be that beautiful, and he never thought he could feel that an army of rambling butterflies were battling inside him just because he was near of her, as now. So close his nose almost touched hers; so close her hair brushed his cheeks; so close, he could see all the different shades of blue of her eyes. So close, he could feel her breath on his mouth, so close he could feel a pair of soft and tender lips on his, a feeling so heavenly he shut his eyes and got lost in the moment.

His mind shut down and he lost track of time, when all the sudden the blissful sensation stoped and he opened his eyes. He saw Diana's face with a bright shade of pink, looking at him completely dumbfounded.

"Diana, where are you?!," It was again the same baritone voice of her tutor, he sounded very irritated.

"I must go!," she said fast, and took a step back getting away from his embrace, quickly she ran away from him.


	7. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana and Bruce have a dangerous encounter.

* * *

The next day he got up really early, he was extremely nervous and the hours until the afternoon couldn't pass fast enough for him. He spent all the morning harassing Alfred about every single detail of the dinner and the protocols to receive a princess. He wanted everything to be perfect. He took a lot of time to get dress; finally he came out wearing his outfit reserved for the most important occasions. When he came down of the main stairs of the castle, his mother took a look at him surprised.

" Bruce why are you dress like that?"

" You taught me that when I receive a royal representative from another kingdom, I should dress like this, and Diana is a princess."

" Really? And may I ask from what kingdom?, " Martha suspect his son has been deceived, she knew most of the royal families, and none of them were visiting Gotham, and she couldn't remember among them were someone named Diana.

" Themyscira. "

Martha was astonish. If Diana was a royal from that island of immortal women, this could be the most extraordinary diplomatic event she had ever witness in her life, a visitor from a secluded nation, their princess heir none less.

Bruce took an extra horse, a gentle white mare for Diana, and rode straight to the meadows. He looked incredibly handsome, every inch of the prince he was, with his crimson vest and black cape, his sword tied around his waist inside his silver scabbard. He left the horses a couple of yards away from the pond, but the minute he dismounted, he knew something was wrong. Then he heard a war cry and his heart pumped harder, it was Diana's voice. She was in trouble.

Bruce ran to her aid, only to find a shocking scene: She and her wolves were fighting fiercely against a flock of golden birds, which used their feathers as arrows. She was deflecting those with her silver bracelets, but there were so many birds, she was being over powered, he wielded his sword and was about to joined her in the fight, when one of birds saw him, and flew directly at him aiming for his head.

Soon more birds joined that one, and he found himself surrounded by a sea of wings and beaks, that tried to have a bite of him. Although she was attack herself by a rain of arrow-feathers Diana saw Bruce viciously assaulted by the Stymphalian birds, and ran to help him, but she didn't notice Ares was right at her back.

" Bruce!," she scream almost out of breath. She was dodging some arrows, when she felt a strong hand pulling her hair. The arrows that rained over her stop at that moment.

" Not so fast, my dear ," said the God of War, dragging her by the hair with vengeance "Didn't your mother teach you how you should address your Gods?"

" Lord Ares, " said Diana. Now she could see him cruelly smiling at her.

" Better. I was looking forward to met you, Diana of Themyscira, " he said amd grabbed her arm hard hurting her, Diana just winced in pain "Polemos was clever to bring you here, it took me a long time to find you."

" Please Lord Ares, order your Stymphalides to stop attacking Bruce"

" Oh, that is so endearing, but what would I have in exchange?"

" I will built you the largest sanctuary at Themyscira, and I will be your most faithful acolyte, " she said pleading.

" Diana, you haven't learned your lesson yet? In war you don't show mercy to your enemies," Ares said and slapped hard in the face "Now I will teach you and your mother a lesson in pain," he said while taking Diana by the neck.

Bruce saw that and he felt a rage unlike he never felt before, he was ready to kill Ares in that moment, but the stupid birds kept him busy; throwing their feathers at him as arrows, and trying to bite him and hurt him with their claws. One of them specially was about to have a good bite of his neck, when one of the wolves brought it down. Bruce saw that as his opportunity, and ran fast to where Diana and Ares were.

The God of War, was tall, the tallest man he had ever seen, but since he was so focus trying to choke Diana, he didn't see when Bruce approached him at the back and stuck his sword deep in his leg.

" Argh!," Ares complained, and tried to kick Bruce hard, but he dodged his kick, rolling on his back, and soon got up, wielding his sword.

" Release her, now!," Bruce commanded.

" How dare you to address me like that, mortal?," said Ares offended, while he kept tighten Diana's neck. She was fighting, kicking hard, and then as she did before with the Harpy, with great effort took the dagger she always kept hidden in her vest and struck Ares in the hand, hurt the God of War release her grip on her, and soon she was on the floor.

"Run Bruce!" 

" You are going to pay for that Diana," said Ares with a voice full of anger " Stymphalides take her to my palace." The flock of birds acted as one in that moment, and surround her.

" Diana!," screamed Bruce, and ran after her, but Ares stopped him, standing before him.

" Where do you think you are going?," Ares said and punched him in the stomach. The hit left Bruce out of air, Ares saw him bent over himself in pain, and draw out his sword, a blade made of fire but when he was about to deliver the final stroke at the boy, his face contorted in a malicious smile, and he put his sword away " No, is better this way. From now on, you will live with the guilt of knowing, it was you, who made Diana available to me," and with that, he disappeared.

Bruce ran after the birds that took Diana away, but it was useless; she was gone. He fell on his knees, and stood there lifeless, in the middle of the meadows, he didn't know for how long, until he heard footsteps approaching at his back, without thinking he got up, turned around, wielded his sword and thrust it with all the force he could muster at whoever was there.

He was astonish to see that he hurt Diana's tutor. However, the dark man, equally tall as Ares, if not more, remained unscathed, he took Bruce's sword and draw it out from within him as if it was nothing, and started to walk around, looking for clues, ignoring him completely.

_'Ares and his Stymphalian birds were here. Only he could come to this forgotten land and have any amount of power, these stupid Gotham mortals may not believe in the Olympians, but they certainly believe in war'_  Thought Hades, then a voice took him out of his inner deliberations.

" Where were you? He took Diana away. You were suppose to protect her!," yelled at him Bruce totally outraged.

He looked with surprise at the boy who was standing defiant in front of him. Then he understood, ' _And here I was thinking my daughter was trill to be with me, and that was the reason she didn't yearn to go back to Themyscira, but now it turns out it was because she befriended this little mortal'._

" What are you waiting for? We need to go after him, we need to bring Diana back!," keept shouting Bruce completely disrupted.

Hades always had a short temper and he had enough. He was a God, not somebody this boy could order around.

" Fool!," he said and slapped Bruce hard with the back of his hand, so hard Bruce hit the ground "Forget all about her, you are never going to see her again," and with those words he disappeared.

Maybe because of all the stress he had in the last hours or because twice immortal Gods had hit him, Bruce fainted. When he wake up, he felt somebody was carrying him, as an instinct he looked for his sword, but when he didn't find it on his belt, he panic, and started to wrestle against a pair of strong arms that were holding him.

" Bruce," he heard the voice of his father.

" Dad?, " he asked afraid it was an illusion.

" Rest, you are safe now," and with that Bruce closed his eyes, and drift to oblivion.

His father returned earlier that day from one of his trips, only to find Martha anxious and worry, Bruce left early to pick up his friend, and did not return. Hours ago she sent her royal guards to search for him, and they haven't found him yet. Her instincts as a mother were screaming something was wrong, so as soon as Thomas arrived to his castle, he left in search of his son. He found him visible hurt and unconscious, lying on the ground in the darkest part of the forest. Until the moment he took Bruce in his arms, he never thought he could felt so concerned, and quickly rode to his Castle. As soon as they arrived there, all the physicians of Gotham's court promptly attended him. Soon Bruce's chambers looked like a small hospital, while he laid on his bed, feverish. His parents stood there beside him, deeply concerned.

" How is he?," Martha asked the most experienced doctor.

" The fever is coming down, and he is getting better. He was deeply hurt, but he is a strong boy. Nothing a few weeks of rest and our medicines will not heal"

" What happened?," she asked again to the ancient physician

" Apparently, my Queen, he had a nasty fight against somebody strong, and maybe a wild animal too, he has many scratches that look like inflicted by claws"

Martha sigh, all the sudden she felt so tired. She sat down next to Bruce's bed, stroking gently his forehead, talking to him although he could not hear her.

" Bruce…my darling. What were you thinking?"

" Diana… Diana...," he whispered in his feverish delirium.

" Look at you, obsessed about a girl. Was she with you when they attacked you? ... Thomas did you found a little girl, next to him?."

" No, he was alone. I've only found some dead wolves; and arrows that looked like feathers."

" Did you look inside the cabin?," she asked her husband.

" What cabin?, replied Thomas disconcerted.

" Bruce told me his friend lived in a cabin in the woods, near to a pound."

" Martha, there was no cabin and certainly no pound there, just the meadows, if you must know it was the darkest part of the woods, I cannot imagine anyone living there."

" That's odd. I wonder…Where is Bruce's girlfriend?," she whispered, but her husband heard her.

"Bruce has a girlfriend? When did that happen?," asked Thomas surprised; his son spent most of his time by himself or with adults rather than with kids of his age, and certainly regarded the girls as odd and boring; not even once he saw him particulary interested in one.

" While you were gone…And Bruce has a  _female_  friend, not a "girlfriend" as you are implying, her name is Diana."

* * *

Diana was chain to the wall of a dark dungeon. The birds had hurt her skin deeply with their beaks, but she already healed. She didn't know how, but apparently she could heal very fast, with not even a faint scar on her arms.

"Good, you are awake. You are stronger than I thought, unlike your friend."

" What did you do to him?," she asked her eyes full of anger.

" How soon you forgot your manners. That is not the way to address a God ," he said and slapped her hard, making her lip bleed.

" You must learn to be more respectful," he said, while taking a whip from his belt, he took good care that Diana could see its sharp ends, he thought that will make her afraid, but she didn't even blink "Maybe this will teach you," he said while lashing her back with fury.

Although she was in terribly pain, she didn't scream, she knew it would pleased him, and she was determinate not to let him see he was hurting her.

" Not even a tear? I wonder if you can resist as much as my son did when your mother hurt him!," he said lashing her again hard on the legs, taking pieces of her skin, he was about to whip her a third time when he felt a strong hand stopping his arm.

" Hades!," The God of War was shock to find Hades there at the dungeons, this was the most secret place in his palace.

" How dare you harm Diana?," said Hades livid with anger, his voice was like a low growl, but his eyes were beaming with fury. Ares had never seen him this infuriated. But he wasn't easily intimidated.

" I was teaching her manners," Ares said with a sardonic smile "Her mother seem to have neglected her, the same as her father."

Those last words got Hades totally enraged. He transformed in that moment in the dangerous God of the Underworld, with the shape of giant monster, and then he grabbed Ares by the neck as if he was a ragged doll, but the God of War only laughed.

" Good, let your daughter see you as you truly are. Look Diana, this is the real face of your father!."

Diana was overwhelm; her tutor was the God of the Underworld and her father! but how could she recognize him? At Themyscira, Hades was the only God that was ban. Not a single statue of him was there, and the priestess never talked about him. Nobody at Themyscira worshiped him, and yet here he was, in front of her. She closed her eyes when he saw Hades send a burst of fire against Ares, the God of the Underworld looked as freighting as the legends said. Ares fought him with his blade made of fire, but then Hades wielded his own sword, a dark sword, heavy and big as the night.

" You dare to come against me? Haven't you learned nephew? You are no match for me!," he said while delivering a series of dangerous hits that Ares barely dodge with his sword.

"We will see about that uncle!"

" Idiot!, " and with that Hades delivered his last blow, missing just an inch from his nephew's eye, and crushing his head under his foot "Stay down" Hades said, while putting some sort of spell that left Ares unable to move.

Then he transformed himself again into the good-looking man Diana has come to know and respect as her tutor.

" Come Diana, " and with that all the chains that held her broke "I'll take you to your mother. I doubt Ares will ever dare to hurt you again."

She was so stun by the recent events she barely could walk. Hades took notice of that, and then took her in his arms and carried her away.

"Sleep my child," he said while gently caressing her cheek. And Diana lost herself into the land of Morpheus.

* * *

When he arrived at the Queen's private chambers in Themyscira, he found Hippolyta livid. He ignored her and very gently put Diana asleep on her mother's bed.

" You cannot stay here!," Hippolyta hissed almost as if she feared a lighting could strike at her in that instant.

"I talked to my brother. I'm not longer banned from Themyscira, but Ares is now," he said trying to calm her.

Hippolyta was relief, but then she got even more furious than before.

" You took my daughter away from me for weeks claiming that you will protect her and now she is hurt."

" She will heal soon, and you know that. And you agreed I took her away from Themyscira so Ares will not reach her."

" So how did he find her?," it was clear to her that Diana's wounds were inflected by the God of War, she knew very well his trademark whip.

" Something must happen yesterday, something that broke the spell I put on the meadows of Gotham."

" You took my daughter to that forgotten land?," asked Hippolyta arching a brow.

" It was the only place Ares wouldn't think of."

" Yet, he managed to hurt and kidnapped her. You are a terrible father."

" As much as you are a lousy mother."

" How dare you?..."

Then they saw Diana stired and abruptly she got up.

" Bruce, where are you?, Bruce... Bruce!," she started to yell.

Hippolyta ran to her, and hugged her, soon Diana was sleep again.

"Who is Bruce?," asked Hippolyta visible upset.

"I guess is the little mortal she befriended, " stated Hades as if it was nothing important. 

" You allow my daughter to make friends with a mortal man? "

" Allow? It was not as she asked for my permission. If you haven't notice Diana is really head strong, I doubt anyone could force her to do something she doesn't want to. Besides it was not a man, it was just a little boy. "

" You know boys grow and become men don't you?, " her voice dripped with irony "and each one of them has the seed of evil and deceit inside."

" Hippolyta, you cannot be so paranoid about men. Anyway, she will ever see him again."

" I agree. This is the last time she leaves Themyscira, from now on she won't leave the island."

" As you wish. But you must understand some things need to change. Diana knows that I'm her father."

" You told her?!," she was completely outraged.

" Ares did. Now that she knows, you cannot deny me the right to be part of her life. I will visit her and she will keep training with Polemos. Did I make myself clear?," he said with authority, it was not a suggestion, it was an order.

Hippolyta, couldn't find her voice, she was so frustrated.

" I'm glad you agree. Take good care of my daughter."


	8. Autumn sadness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark makes a new friend. Bruce's parents decided to prepare a festival to cheer him up.

* * *

Bruce got better and the doctors were pleased with his recovery, before long they said the young prince could resume his normal activities. However, when his mother learned the truth about what happened to him that dark day, her concerned only deepen: Somebody extremely dangerous and with little scruples nearly took the life of his son and his friend, and show no mercy at them even though they were just kids. To avoid any risks, she decided to put guards on Bruce's chambers and closed his "secret" pass away to prevent him from going to the forest.

Martha refused to believe Diana was dead, but Bruce obviously thought about that possibility all the time, and the doubt was consuming him alive. He didn't want to eat, hardly speak, and spent most of the time brooding, lost in his own thoughts. The Queen knew that although her son's wounds healed leaving only faint scars, there were other wounds beyond his body, that won't heal easily, and she was afraid they never would.

Seeing her son like that broke Martha's heart. She tried to comfort him saying that Diana was a brave girl and a trained warrior, and she could escape from those golden birds. That idea brought Bruce some tranquillity and he cling to that hope. Nevertheless, she knew only some proof that she was still alive will bring him peace.

Therefore, she convinced Thomas to use any diplomatic means they have to reach Themyscira, so Bruce could have news from Diana. Martha knew it was going to be difficult, since the island always had been such a secluded nation, but she had faith on her husband political influence and abilities, after all Gotham was a very powerful kingdom. For that reason, she waited patiently for Thomas after he had one unusual long meeting with Gotham's council.

" Any news from Themyscira?, " she asked her husband as soon as he arrived to their chambers.

" No, I sent a dozen ambassadors full of presents and commercial proposals and nothing, they closed their borders " Said Thomas, visibly tired. Bruce's recent adventures had complicated his already agitated council. The fact that the Prince of Gotham was so easily hurt by a powerful foreigner, outraged his advisors, specially the seneschal, who demanded all the kingdom were under a high military alert.

" What about Bruce's letter to Diana?," she asked hopefully.

" That was the worst. I have sent our main ambassador as a messenger and the Queen refused to grant him an audience; her royal guards even threaten the poor fellow with their spears. The only good thing about his near dead experience at Themyscira was that he did not see any signs of royal mourning; his informants only could tell him their princess is alive - He said trying to see a positive thing in the entire political nightmare, he was facing. The council didn't understand his insistence on have a stronger relation with Themyscira, especially after the way those women behaved with Gotham's most important ambassador. He had a hard time convincing them to overlook the incident, and refrained to declare war against that nation."

" I guess you are right, that is a good sign. I wish we have some tangible proof that Diana is alive; maybe if we personally go to Themyscira…"

" That's enough Martha! I'm not going to risk the delicate peace we have and our political capital just because Bruce has a crush, he will have to learn to deal with it - He said visibly strained."

" But Thomas… ," pledged Martha.

" No, and it's my last word!," he said with irritation, but his behaviour changed as soon as he saw his wife's sadness; he couldn't resist her looking like that and he tried to offer her a solution "Look, maybe is time to find a bride for Bruce."

"What?! We promise ourselves not to put our son through that process," Martha had seen first hand many tortuous and unhappy arranged marriages to rely on the practice "We got lucky; but you know several of those arranged royal marriages do not end well".

" Yes, but some end great. Besides, Bruce is not longer a little boy, sooner that you think he will be old enough to be the prince regent if he most, and in the end he will need a wife to make sure our house legacy continues."

"Thomas, he is still very young, " Martha said trying to reason with him.

" We were younger than him when we got engaged…." He said to support his argument, but find disbelief in his wife's eyes " I'm not saying we impose a girl to Bruce, but maybe if he meets someone in the right environment, he will forget about Diana and will be in high spirits again. It will not hurt to try."

" I guess…," said Martha doubtful.

" Why don't we have a festival; with a masquerade ball as a main event? You liked those affairs and you know how much Bruce used to love playing with disguises. We could invite the entire royal families and their sons and daughters. That will distract him; maybe he even will make new friends ," he said kind of hopeful.

" Thomas, I don't think it will be that easy to make him forget Diana," said Martha, she knew his son's heart, and she could tell Diana meant something deep for him.

" Martha when things with Bruce had been easy? Our boy is brilliant and I love him to dead but maybe we have been overprotective with him. He spends all his time around adults; barely sees or plays with somebody of his own age. Therefore is just natural that he obsess about Diana, she was practically the only close friend he had in his life, but maybe if he meets other boys and girls his age, he will find he has things in common with them and eventually won't consider Diana so special."

" Thomas don't underestimate your son. He knows the value of a true friend and he chooses them carefully, trust me, there is a reason why he regards Diana so highly."

" Yes Martha, and that reason are his hormones."

" Thomas!," she said surprised by his answer.

"You want to see Bruce still as a little child, but he has grown," Thomas was really tired, and became impatient "I will not lose sleep over this issue anymore. Let's face the facts: Themyscira has severed all tides with us and from what I can tell with any other nation, they choose to further isolated themselves, and as wonderful as Bruce thinks Diana is, we are not going to invade that island only to see if she is all right. Bruce will have to settle with the little information we had gather about her well-being and move on. He is a prince and needs to start acting as one: He needs to put a brave face and think about what is best for Gotham."

"Even in spite of his own happiness?," Martha asked his husband with a serious face.

" I want nothing but happiness for Bruce, but you have to understand that we are facing dangerous times. Since Kandor's destruction the political balance of the world changed, now we are the most powerful and rich nation in the continent, only Themyscira could rival with us in military force and wealth, but since they decided to isolated themselves; that leaves us as the political leaders. And trust me, there are many who want to challenge us," Until now, he didn't want to share with his wife the threats they were facing.

"More reason to reach for Themyscira, an alliance between our nations would consolidate our power and reduce any potential danger" She said kind of expectant his husband reconsidered the idea of trying to contact the island.

"That is one way to see it," Thomas said less positive "Others however, will see that union as a menace, and they will do anything they can to end it," He saw how his wife flinched at the idea, and decided he was being pessimist "All I say is the timing is not right; maybe this is just a phase for Bruce, let's wait a couple of months and if we see that things are still the same we will try to reach for Themyscira with a different approach. Now please let's sleep. I'm completely exhausted!"

* * *

Clark Kent was running in the field of wheat of his parent's vast land. He loved to be there, the air on his face brought him freedom sensation, the warm sunrays and the delicious smells of the harvest of apples and oranges, made his heart sing with joy. The Kents were very proud of his son, and loved him dearly, although they didn't share with him the truth about the origin of his peculiar abilities.

His dad prohibited him from running as fast as he liked in front of others, or when he played any games, but Clark couldn't help it, he loved the speed, and when he ran really fast often he felt like he could fly if he wanted to. His dad had another rule too: Clark had to restrain from using all his strength when he play any sport. Nevertheless, even with those limitations, Clark was still very good at every sport he played, and because he was very charismatic, he made friends easily and became a natural leader in every place he went.

One day, a rugby match took place at the state-city of Metropolis; as his regent, Lord Lionel Luthor attended the game with his son, and they sat at a privileged place in the terraces. They witness as well as all the crowd in the stadium the stellar part Clark Kent played at the rugby game against the local team. The boy from Smallville impressed Lord Luthor not only because how fast and strong he was, but also because for a moment it looked as if he could fly, it happened for just a few seconds, but Lionel Luthor knew it was not his imagination. He saw in Clark the perfect soldier his army will need. So he relentless convinced the Kent's to allow his son to be part of his court as a playmate for his only child, Alexander, or Lex as he used to call him.

The Kents were reluctant at first, they didn't want to part ways from his beloved son, but Lionel Luthor was very persuasive. He offered them the unique opportunity to educate Clark in the intricate ways of the court and have access to the best masters and a large library, something they, even as well accommodated land owners could not give him, so eventually Clark joined Lord Luthor's court.

He and Lex bonded right away, and soon became best friends; always one will follow the other. The boys trained daily for hours in the arts of combat, and almost immediately, it became clear that although Lex was good, Clark excel. He was super fast and strong. Lord Luthor couldn't be more pleased, he dreamed about the time when Clark became a lethal soldier, and soon all those nations that looked at them over their shoulders will respect them.

Although Metropolis was a highly regarded state city, Lord Luthor wanted more, he envisioned a world where he and his son were the undisputable rulers. In order to meet that goal, Lionel was an extremely demanding father and since he expected nothing but the best from Lex, he had very little tolerance for error. Often he didn't hesitate to put his son on the spotlight when he did something he considered a failure. Lex frequently was scold for underperforming, no matter he how hard he tried or how good he was.

In contrast, Clark received nothing but Lord Luthor's praises. Lex started to resent that, and as time went by he started to develop a rivalry with Clark, at first playful, but eventually dangerously serious.

* * *

One autumn day Lord Lionel Luthor received news that surprised him.

" My Lord, we have just received an invitation from Gotham," said Mercy, his personal secretary that often doubled as his bodyguard.

" How extraordinary! The Waynes usually don't invite us to any of their affairs. What is it?."

" It's a festival; the main event will be a masquerade ball. The invitation highlights that you should take Lex with you. How should we respond?."

" Accept their invitation, " said Lionel Luthor, looking at that moment over the window of his big mahogany desk, from which he could see the garden where Lex and Clark were playing at the moment "We will take the boys there."

" The boys?"

" Yes: Lex and Clark," he replied at Mercy as if was the most obvious thing.

" But Clark is not invited my Lord, " said Mercy, not quite convinced that Clark should go to the royal affair; from her point of view he was nothing but a glorified servant.

" I know that. But can you imagine a place where Lex goes and Clark doesn't? They are really devoted to each other, it will be painful to have Lex moaning all the way why his best friend is not there, besides this will be the perfect opportunity to test him," said Lord Luthor with a wicked smile.

" Test him?," asked Mercy, she knew her lord only smiled like that when he was going to have something he wanted for a long time.

" Sure. Clark is getting bigger and stronger. I want to know how he fares against other kingdom's soldiers, and this festival is the perfect opportunity. I'll bet there will be a lot of games where he can show off his strength."

Suddenly it was clear for her the true intentions behind the apparently good will act of his usually cold and pragmatic Lord " You want to display him as a weapon?"

" You are very perceptive Mercy Graves."

* * *

They parted to Gotham with great enthusiasm. Clark in particular was beaming; he had never travel further than Metropolis, and all the different landscapes fascinated him, as well as the strange architecture of Gotham. The winter city, as it was also known, had many gargoyles on its roofs; one in particular caught his attention: That gargoyle looked like it had an extra head, but when he look back, the extra head, disappeared.

The King and Queen of Gotham received the Luthors and Clark warmly, at the centre of their throne room. Clark had never seen such an opulence, although Lord Luthor had indeed a big state and his own private study was large and richly decorated, the Wayne's throne room was at least five times larger and it exuded power, you could tell that you were in front of a royal family with an ancient history. The King and Queen were stunning and they impressed Clark, also their son the young prince looked very regal too, however, Clark could see in his eyes a deep sadness. He couldn't help but wonder ' _Why such a lucky kid could be gloomy?'_.

As soon as they got installed at one of the chambers in one of the buildings next the main compound of the castle. He and Lex decided to join the other kids in the different activities of the festival. Soon Clark found that those boys and girls were very different from the ones he met at Smallvile or Metropolis. While they treated Lex with courtesy, they ignored him completely and often look at him with disdain " _they despise me because I'm not the son of any lord or the heir of any royal kingdom_ ". He decided that he did not care, as long as he had Lex's friendship everything will be all right. But Lex in next to no time choose to ignore him too, apparently he didn't want to be associated with him anymore. He started to spend his time with all the other boys from the royal houses, and got away from Clark. In one moment that Clark was looking for him, he overheard a conversation that shocked him:

" Lex, who is that tall guy who is always tailing you?," asked Julian, the son of a Lord of the middle earth.

" Clark," he said squeezing his eyes, he didn't like Julian questions. Lex thought Gotham would be the last place anyone could ask him about Clark, unlike in Metropolis, where he was very popular and often when people saw him alone started to ask him about the whereabouts of Clark, at first he didn't mind, but now it irritated him deeply.

" I wonder why you guys arrived together?, You even sleep in the same chambers… Is he your boyfriend?, " asked with malice Marcus; who was a couple of years older that Lex and was the duke of a very small kingdom close to Gotham.

" Lex has a boyfriend… Lex has a boyfriend…nanana," started to mockingly sing Julian, while other boys arrived drawn by the idea of bullying Lex.

" Grow up!", said Lex pushing Julian so hard he stumbled "Clark is my servant, more like a bodyguard to me," although he said those words without raising his voice, there was something dangerous in his tone.

" Then where is he? Usually our guards follow us all the time," asked defiant Julian.

" I dodge him. I'm sick of him," said Lex his words were dripping disdain.

" If you are so sick of him, why don't you fire him?," asked Marcus, ironic.

" I can't, my father has this ridicule idea that Clark could be the perfect soldier our army needs," said Lex rephrasing some of the words his father often said.

" One man doesn't win a war," replied Marcus.

" Maybe an ordinate man, but Clark is unlike others," said Lex with a mix proud and envy "He is really strong and swift," he said and for a moment his eyes has a hint of resentment.

" If he is so powerful how are planning to control him?," Marcus asked him. He thought Lex was just trying to brag. He found difficult to believe a boy their age, would be strong enough to win a war by himself. ' _Lex is such a deceiver, I'm going to expose him for what he is'_  thought Marcus.

"Loyalty, he is very loyal ... like a dog," said Lex with a smirk "And he very devoted to me. He thinks we are friends," added Lex, with a deadpan almost indifferent voice.

" Poor bastard! With you as a friend he doesn't need enemies," said Marcus, with a wicked smile "Come on guys let's leave Luthor in his world of fantasy."

" You don't believe me?"

" Prove it. Call him, and ask him to do something like bend that canon, " said Marcus and he pointed at one of the small canons that were in one of the halls of the castle as a relic of past wars.

" Yes, call him, or better yet whistle as one does when calling a dog, " said Julian.

Lex didn't like their attitude, but he didn't want to look like a liar either, so he decided to call Clark.

" Ok… Clark, " said Lex.

" Louder," commanded him Marcus.

" Clark, Clark," called Lex louder in his more friendly tone

" Whistle!," demanded Julian.

Lex was about to whistle when he saw Clark in front of him. He haven't thought about how tall Clark was until that moment, he towered him and all the other boys and looked really intimidating; Marcus, Julian and the other boys kept quiet then. Clark was closing his fists so hard his knuckles were white, but what stroked Lex the most were his eyes, that looked as if he was trying to hold on tears.

Clark however, never felt so humiliated in his life, he heard every single word of what Lex said. He couldn't help it, he had a superb hearing and never thought Lex could refer to him with so much contempt. So he barely looked at Lex and then turned around and left. Clark ran so fast away from there, that for a moment Lex thought he had vanished in the middle of the air. Lex knew in that instant that their friendship had broken forever and would never be the same.

" Ja, ja, ja. I guess he is not as devoted to you as you thought Luthor," said Marcus with a sardonic smile "Come on boys, let's look for Wayne, after all this is his gig, and we need to lay it on him pretty thick," he said and left with the other boys tailing him around, and they left Lex, completely alone.

* * *

Bruce followed the court's protocol by the book, in a way that made his mother proud. But he couldn't pretend for his life to enjoy the festivities. The boys his age, were nothing but despicable bullies, or air-heads that didn't have any interesting to say. The girls however, were unbearable, apparently, word came out that his parents were looking for a bride for him, and many of them were ogling him, others were desperate to capture his attention and did the strangest things, all those attitudes made him feel uncomfortable. He couldn't stand been in the festival anymore, and quickly despaired through his new secret pass away. He went directly to the only place he could find any kind of peace: The meadows.

He arrived there, only to see the desolated grass, and the tombs of the wolves that died that forsaken day. He sat with his back to a tree, and sigh. Then when he focused on the trees nearby and saw a pair of red eyes looking straight at him; little by little the dark figure of a wolf came in. Bruce couldn't help but smile, at least one of the wolves had survive, but his heart sank a little when he saw the animal limping, he got up and when to it, the wolf at first didn't trust him.

" Relax; I'm going to fix you," he said in a soothing tone.

He ripped the end of his shirt and made a tourniquet, soon the animal's pawn had a bandage and since the wolf felt better, he licked Bruce's cheek as a thank you.

"You are welcome," he said while ruffling the wolf's ears.

He sat with the wolf at his side, and kept silent for a while. He closed his eyes and remembered Diana's face, he never thought one memory could bring so much joy and sorrow at the same time, he felt like he had hole inside his chest, and it hurt so bad, he had to sigh to breath again. He could not stop thinking about her, in her beautiful face transfigured with horror, while that monster was trying to crush her throat. He felt again a cold fury washing over him; he never wanted to hurt someone as much as he wanted to hurt the God of War that day. One thing was certain: Ares left him mortally wounded, but not because of his hits or the piercing claws of his golden birds, but because he took Diana away from him. And he knew he could never get over it.

The wolf howled at that moment.

" You miss her too?," he asked the wolf, which looked at him as if it understood all his pain and Bruce kept talking as if the animal could reply to him.

"I send her half of a dozen of letters. The messengers couldn't deliver any of them, apparently Themyscira closed all its borders. I tried to sneak out of the castle and sail there, but my mother caught me before I could leave Gotham; she got terribly angry and scolded me. She said I must wait, because in a few months things are going to change."

He continued his monologue, and the wolf kept looking at him patently, as if he understood.

"Mum told me that if I behave as a gracious host during the festival, she will persuade my father to restore relations with Themyscira and maybe I could see Diana again," said Bruce, but then the wolf raised an ear, and started to sniff the air, afterwards the animal began to snarl.

Bruce got up and draw his sword, since the Ares incident he carried it all the time. He turn around but did not see a thing, although the wolf started to growl ready to attack. Bruce became anxious as the minutes passed and everything looked the same, he started to think the wolf was mislead when he saw a small blue tornado coming straight at them. He got ready for an imminent attack but a couple of yards before them, the tornado stopped, and a boy dressed in blue, came from it, he looked quite distress. The wolf got nervous and started to growl again, then the boy turn around, and what Bruce saw shocked him: The boy's eyes were deeply red and beams came from them.

Bruce as an instinct wielded his sword and quickly deflected the red beams that hit a couple of tree branches that got on fire. He was about to wield his sword when the boy fell on his knees and covered his eyes with his own hands.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you all right?," the boy in blue said very apologetically.

Bruce remained silent. The wolf, however, kept growling at the boy, ready to attack him. After a few seconds that felt like ages, the boy looked more collected and then took his hands away from his eyes. Bruce got ready for another pair of red beams but when he looked at the boy's face, he could see his eyes were not longer red, but were a deep shade of blue . As a response, the wolf started to approach the boy, who didn't move. Bruce thought the animal was about to bite the boy but instead it only sniff him. Soon the wolf lost all its menacing attitude, and to Bruce astonishment licked the boy's hand, who ruffled the wolf ears and started to pet it as a loyal dog, the wolf even wag its tail.

_'So much for a fierce guardian'_   thought Bruce rolling his eyes.

" Who are you?," asked Bruce, completely intrigued, never letting his guard down.

"My name is Clark Kent," said the boy in blue, extending his hand to Bruce.


	9. Unusual Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Clark had a brief but significant conversation.

* * *

Bruce remained silent, trying to determinate if he should shake hands with the strange boy dressed in blue. Clark saw his distrust and put his hands on the air.

" I am sorry, sometimes I tend to do things like that, but I'm in control now. It won't happen again and if you don't want to shake hands is ok."

Bruce still kept a safe distance from him, but he asked:

" What are you doing in Gotham? "

The wolf in the mean time got back at Bruce's side, looking between the two boys expectantly.

" I came to the festival ."

" What house are you from?," inquired again Bruce without hiding his suspicion, he didn't remember any house named Kent.

" I don't belong to any house, " replied Clark, but when he saw Bruce confused look, he decided to elaborate "I mean, any royal house. My parents are just a couple of farmers from Smallvile, "said Clark with pride.

" Then why are you here?," Bruce asked surprised, it was obvious the boy was well-educated and his clothes were of good quality, he didn't look like an average peasant.

" Lord Luthor invited me," said Clark plainly.

Then Bruce remembered him among all those people he met earlier: Clark was the tall boy next to the Luthors.

" Why?," he insisted.

" I  _was_  his son's playmate," responded Clark visibly uncomfortable.

" I never took Lex as one who crave for friends," said Bruce with a hint of irony, he had met Lex before when they were little kids, and they never got along "So...You two are friends?," he asked; even though he had just met Clark, it was clear to him he was very different from Lex , he couldn't imagine how the two of them could become friends.

" From my part," said Clark with sadness.

" What does that mean?," Bruce was intrigued, for a moment it sound as if Clark regretted his friendship with Lex.

" I've just found out he doesn't consider me like that. Lex worries about what other people thinks of him and…I guess I'm not a suitable friend for him," said Clark. He didn't know why but the trust the dark-haired boy who stand next to him.

"That's so shallow," Bruce said with disdain.

Then Clark saw the boy in the eyes, and in that moment, he remembered another boy with sad blue eyes he met earlier: The prince of Gotham.

" Oh, your highness," said Clark, making a big bow " I'm sorry I didn't recognize you before."

Bruce dressed in his casual hunting clothes, that although of supreme quality didn't had any royal signs embroiled.

" Stop with the bow and just call me Bruce," Said the young prince annoyed.

" I'm sorry," said Clark again apologetically.

" It's okay... Look, I need to get back otherwise everybody is going to start looking for me. Are you coming?," bossed Bruce a little.

" I don't want to," said Clark with sincerity.

" Too much fun for you?," replied Bruce with sarcasm.

" I don't feel conformable there," answered Clark with earnestness.

" You and me both... But if you tail along with me, I doubt anyone dares to give you a hard time," said Bruce, for some reason he liked the boy in blue.

" What would people think of you if you befriend me?," questioned Clark

"I befriend whomever I want to and after all, it's  _my_  festival," replied Bruce in his royal voice.

" Thanks, but I really just want to go home. Back to Smallvile, where my parents are, where my place is," Clark realised at that moment how much he missed his parents.

" Isn't that far away from here? Why don't you wait, enjoy the festival and then tomorrow if you feel the same I'll order my barn ward to lend you a couple of horses so you can go back " Bruce hated to let the boy leave feeling inadequate. ' _I bet not only Lex remind him that he is not royalty'_   he thought.

" I'd rather leave now, besides I can run to my place " Said Clark he wanted nothing more to see his parents again.

" Run? Are you crazy?" Bruce didn't know exactly where Smallvile was, but he was sure it wasn't near Gotham.

" I can run really fast, what is more it will help me to clear my mind. Thank you for listen to me and for your help offer. I really appreciate it," replied Clark with candor.

" You are welcome," said Bruce a bit sad.

" I guess this is goodbye, it was nice to meet you Bruce," said Clark extending his hand.

" It was nice to meet you too, " Bruce said while shaking Clark's hand.

Clark started to run, but soon his feet stopped to touch the ground and he started to fly.

" You can fly!," said Bruce completely taken aback.

" Yes," Clark always suspected that he could fly if he really want to, but until today he always repressed that feeling " I'll never forget about you," he said weaving Bruce goodbye.

" Neither do I!," said Bruce still completely astonished. He kept looking at Clark until he was just a point in the horizon.

" Did you see that?!," he asked the wolf, which only yawn "Ok, maybe you are unimpressed because you used to be around Diana all the time, but this is the first time I see somebody fly, I wonder how can he do that," both heard the sound of a fast horse rider approaching, and the wolf started to snarl again. Soon the thin frame of Alfred Pennyworth came in sight, and as magic the wolf became very silent.

" Master Bruce, your parents are looking for you," said Alfred unflappable.

" How did you know where to find me? ."

" Let's call it a hunch," Alfred said while motion his head towards the horses.

When Alfred and Bruce started to walk to their horses, Bruce saw how the wolf kept walking beside him. Alfred noticed that too.

" When your mother asked you to make new friends, I'm sure she meant humans, master Bruce"

" It's wounded and needs care, " entreated Bruce trying to justify his actions.

" Is that the only reason why you want to adopt it as a pet?, " asked Alfred, he knew the boy since the day he was born and he could tell there was something deeper behind his sudden attachment to the wolf.

Bruce looked seriously at Alfred " No…He is the only survivor from Diana's wolves."

Alfred could see the memory of his friend was still fresh and painful.

"I will talk to your mother about this, in the mean time keep an eye on it, " he agreed.

" Thanks Alfred, you will see nobody will notice it, isn't it right?," he talked to the wolf, ruffling its ears. The wolf looked at him almost happily.

" I seriously doubt that master Bruce, but yet again, you have a natural talent to find extraordinary friends."

* * *

Bruce arrived to his Castle and although he tried, he didn't go unnoticed, as soon as he entered the foyer, a small group of boys led by Marcus closed his way.

" Wayne, we been looking for you for hours! You missed all the contests: horseshoes, skittles and hammer throwing, but no worries we save you a place in our game ball team. Tomorrow we are going to play against the Nordic houses, they don't stand a change against us because … " Marcus was so focus on his speech; he didn't notice the wolf standing by Bruce's side, until he felt a pair of red eyes that looked at him intently " Oh my God! Guards, guards come here, kill that beast!," he started to shout hysterically, pointing at the animal.

The wolf began to snarl and growl ready to attack, while the other boys ran as fast as they could from there in panic. Soon many guards came to the large foyer and surround Bruce, who swiftly put himself between the guards and the Wolf, and with a commanding voice said:

" Guards stand down!."

At once all the guards low they spears but the captain of the guards talked to the prince.

" Your highness that is a savage beast, we must kill it."

" Don't you dare to hurt him! That's an order," said Bruce protecting the wolf with his body, and using his most commanding voice.

" But your majesty…"

At that moment, the Queen arrived to the foyer.

" Bruce what is all this commotion?," Martha said in an irritated tone, but she froze when she saw his son protecting what looked as the blackest and fierce wolf she had ever seen " Oh, my God! what's is that beast doing here?."

" Mum, it wont' hurt you. Just show him respect," said Bruce never letting the wolf unprotected.

" Respect?...Bruce, darling please get ride of it," she said trying to reason with him.

" No!"

" Bruce," replied Martha shocked.

" He was hurt trying to protect me, and is the only survivor of Diana's wolves. "

Then she understood, Bruce was trying to take care of his friend pet, and maybe in a small part to have a memory of her with him. She couldn't deny him that, even though the wolf looked like it came from deeps of hell.

" Okay, but you must take care of it, and please until the festival ends that wolf must not be wandering around the castle. Understood?" She commanded and then with a gesture dismissed the guards, whom quickly left.

The wolf changed then its menacing demeanour and behaved as well-educated pet.

"Yes, mum. Thanks!," Bruce said and gave his mother a quick peck in the cheek, then he turned to the wolf, and started to talk to him with enthusiasm "Come! I'm going to show my chambers", Bruce started to walk directly to the stairs with the wolf following him close behind.

"Bruce as soon as you locked that wolf, you should get back and apologise to your friends" Said the Queen as soon as his son climbed the first steps of the stairs next to the foyer.

"What friends?," he replied upset.

" You know what I mean. Please don't make things harder, " reburked Martha.

"I'm trying mum, but is difficult when my  _only_  friend is miles away. She may be hurt and I'm not allow to see her or even send her a letter!," Bruce said with a hint of angst in his voice.

" Bruce we discussed this, you have to be patient, things are complicate, but soon we will try to reach Themyscira again. Maybe even we could visit Diana, " She said hopeful "Come, cheer up, now you have a new "pet" to look after "

" I guess…although actually it is Diana's pet"

"Then more reason to take care of it; imagine how happy she will be when she sees you along with that wolf again. Now, you have less than an hour to get ready for the masquerade, so hurry up"

" Yes "

Martha saw his son climbing the stairs joyfully and thought, ' _Maybe in time he would be the same as he used to. Even if I have to endure that furry black beast'_ , she thought and left without noticing that the exchanged had been overheard by Lex Luthor who was in the corner of the big foyer ' _I guess there is more to Wayne than meets the eye…I wonder who is Diana? He seems so smitten by her'_   thought Lex intrigued.

* * *

Hippolyta was having dinner with his daughter and as lately, they eat in silence. As soon as Diana recovered, Hippolyte reprimanded her hard for befriend a mortal boy, and warned her about the dangers of men. Although Diana knew her mother depict all mortal men as low life creatures, until that moment she had never heard how deeply her contempt for them was. She tried to explain her mother that Bruce was different, but Hippolyta did not listen. She even locked Diana inside her chambers with guards outside the doors when the ambassador of Gotham arrived at Themyscira just to make sure she wouldn't sneak out. Eventually Diana stopped talking about Bruce or about anything else with her, manly because she was mad at her and Hades for hiding the truth about her father.

In the end she forgave them although things changed: Hades asked Diana to refer to him as father, and continued to oversee her training. He was strict and fair but had an affectionate side too; for instance, he always brought little presents for her, in time Diana started to confide with him. However, she noticed that, as her mother, Hades disliked the mortals, and got upset when she mentioned Bruce. "Forget all about him" he commanded.

But Diana refused to do that, and every night she contemplated the "W" Bruce gave to her, as a token of their friendship and of his faith in her. She decided to wear it around her neck, but one sunny morning when she was having breakfast at the terrace with her mother, Hippolyta saw a glimpse of the silver pendant.

" What's that?,"Hippolyta asked ' _that is new…. something she must acquired during her time at Gotham'_   she thought.

" A loan," replied Diana trying to tell her the truth without details.

Hippolyta raised an eyebrow " Take it off," she didn't want her daughter to have any memories of that forsaken place.

Diana hesitated, which only infuriated more her mother.

"Diana take that thing off your neck now, " commanded her mother.

She took the pendent off.

" Good, now toss it away," demanded Hippolyta.

" No!," said Diana with resolution, she couldn't think of parting away from something that was so dear to her friend.

" Diana of Themyscira your Queen commands you to throw that thing away," ordered Hippolyta in her regal tone.

" No, I won't do that!" Said Diana and ran away from the palace as fast as she could until she reached the beach. She stood still there as the weaves crashed gently on her feet, with her eyes fixed on the horizon over the ocean. Diana was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear when somebody approached.

" A penny for your thoughts," said a deep baritone voice.

" Lord Hades," said Diana as a reflex, then she saw in his eyes a hint of sadness and she tried to correct her ways "Sorry...Father"

" Better," said Hades more pleased, he knew it will take time for Diana to got use to see him as her father, but he was sure they were making progress, and he felt his bond with her daughter was growing stronger every day. So when he saw her teary eyes, anger and concern started to boil inside him, ' _What could possible make her cry?'._

"Are you crying?"

" What?!," said Diana, until that moment she haven't realize that a tear rolled down her cheek "No. I guess a wave splashed me," said Diana quickly.

Hades observed her carefully, and then something caught his attention: Diana was holding something tidily in her hand; it looked like a silver chain.

" What is that in your hand?", he asked, for some reason Hades knew his daughter's tears and the chain were connect.

Diana hesitated; she didn't want to have another argument about the pendant.

" Is something I borough"

" The mortal boy lent you that?," Hades could tell Diana was cryptic because she knew he wasn't going to like her answer.

" Yes " Diana couldn't lie and she wasn't ashamed of her friendship with Bruce.

" And when were you planning to return it?," asked Hades, who barely managed to control his disgust.

" The next time I see him," answered Diana.

" Never then," He said with determination, almost as an order.

Diana didn't reply, she didn't know why but the idea of never seen Bruce again felt as if thousands of needles pierced her heart. Her father could see her distress and decided not to make things more difficult for her.

" Go and get ready for your lesson with Polemos, he must be already waiting for you"

" Yes, Father," Diana made a small bow, and left.

As soon as Diana returned to her chambers she pick up a little wooden box and carefully put the pendant inside, at that moment she made a small prayer to her gods, ' _Please Gods in the Olympus don't let my mother found the pendant… I wish Bruce and I could communicate somehow … but in the mean time please gods keep him safe'_

That night Diana had the most vivid dream. She saw herself inside a big castle with a strange architecture, at that moment she heard Bruce crying out for her, and while she followed his voice through the large rooms of the castle, the place turned more sinister and convoluted. Then in the middle of the darkest hall, she saw him on his knees. Diana was about to call him when he turned around and what she saw make her froze: Bruce was cover in blood, silently crying at the same time he cradled in his arms a dead woman's head. Diana tried to touch him, but Bruce shattered in thousands of little crystals like a glass statue, next the castle despaired and she found herself alone in the middle of a total darkness.

"Bruce, Bruce. Where are you?," she shouted at the top of her lungs "Bruce, Bruce!"

Afterwards she felt a hot hit in her face, like a slap, and that took her out of the darkness. She saw her mother holding her by the arms hard, whereas Artemis was holding her ankle too. At that moment Diana realised she was standing on the edge of the banister of her balcony.

" Diana, get down here," said her mother almost pleading.

" Mother?," Diana asked perplexed, while she got back on the floor of the balcony.

Her eyes had a wild look a mix between terror and sorrow. Hippolyta was concern, she never had seen his daughter like that before, she embraced her tightly leading her back to her bed, when Diana suddenly tried to get away from her hug.

" Bruce… Something terrible happened to Bruce!," Diana yelled and tried to run to the door, however Hyppolite restrained her.

" Mother please, let me go, he is hurt!," Diana cried at the same time as she was wrestling against her mother's embrace.

Artemis seeing the princess totally disrupted called the court physician who in matter of minutes made a special infusion. Hippolyta forced Diana to drink the tea and eventually she fell asleep whispering Bruce's name.


	10. Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are revealed and sacrifices are made.

* * *

 

After he left Bruce in the meadows, Clark returned to Smallvile faster than he could expect. Flying was his element, and he totally adored the speed, the wind on his face, the way everything looked from above. Once he arrived to his house, his mother, who had not see him in a long time, was on verge of tears, and gave him a warm welcome; his father on the other hand, tried to restrain his emotions but he also had teary eyes. They spend much of the afternoon laughing and listening all Clark's adventures both at the Luthor's court and at Gotham. Although he didn't mention the real reason behind his return, the Kents knew something serious must happened for Clark to leave his beloved friend Lex, but they decided not to ask him about it. The only thing Clark told them was that he missed his home terribly, and that he never wanted to part from their side again.

The next morning Clark decided to talk to his parents about his amazing powers, until then, he never asked them why he was so strong or swift but he didn't want to hide from them that he could fly or that he had a heat vision and super hearing. So, he decided to ask his father point-blank about his powers, during their early morning horse ride around the farm to overseeing the crops and the animals.

"Dad, there is something I need to discuss with you."

" What is it? You look deadly serious," said Jonathan Kent lighltly.

" I have this powers…"

"What are you talking about?, " replied his father at the same time he looked at him as if he feared Clark's next words.

" I can fly, I have heat vision and I can hear things from miles away."

" Are you sure? Perhaps is just your imagination or a side effect of something they gave you at that party," his father said without conviction.

" Dad…You know why I have this abilities? "

His father remained silent for a couple of minutes, as if he were struggling with himself. After what looked to Clark as an eternity, Jonathan Kent left out a large sigh and said.

"Come on, there is something I need you to see."

He led Clark to their large barn, and then pull down a lever that was hidden inside a wooden panel, a door on the floor opened and Clark could see a silver capsule, the artefact in itself seem intricate, but it was beautiful, it had embroiled lots of symbols, but one stand out above the others: A big "S".

" This is how you came to us."

" What?!"

" Clark, you are not our biological son. I found you inside that capsule, one day that when I was fishing at Smallvile Lake. You were asleep, and you looked so innocent and fragile. I couldn't leave you there; I took you home with me. As soon as Martha saw you, she felt in love with you, she thought you were the answer to her prayers, since she wanted a son so badly, as much as I did. We are sure you were a gift from Rao to us. "

"You are not my father?," said Clark completely shocked.

"Perhaps I did not conceive you, but I love you and you will always be my son," said Jonathan seriously, but his eyes bear a great sadness.

" You will always be my dad," said Clark as he tightly hugged Jonathan.

He felt almost out of air, but he couldn't part ways from his son, he was pleased to see Clark still loved him, and wasn't mad with him.

"Dad, do you know the meaning of all the inscriptions in the Capsule?"

"No, after I scoop you out of it, I hide it in here."

"Why?"

"Clark, there is something else you need to know…You mother and I suspect you are the lost prince of Kypton, or at least you belong to the house of El."

"What?"

"You came to us, just after Krypto exploded, and the way you were dress when we found you, was definitely something only royalty could wear. We didn't only adopt you as our son under the name of Kent, because we yearn to have a kid of our own but also because we were afraid that somebody will try to hurt you."

" Why?"

" We heard the day Krypto exploded was also the day General Zod made a cup against Jor-El the King of Krypton, both him along with his wife, the Queen, died assassinated by the men of Zod. Dru-Zod survived and left Kandor, many said that he had a vengeance desire. We were afraid he tried to kill you. Therefore, we disguise you as our son, and hope for the best."

Clark was overwhelm, his whole life had changed in matters of minutes, and he didn't know what to do.

" I know there too much to take. I think you need sometime alone I'll leave you and come back later."

Clark didn't answer he was still trying to absorb all the information his adoptive father told him. The capsule intrigued him, its elaborate design drew him, and he touched it almost with reverence, and found a depression on it. Out of curiosity he pressed it and soon it came out a pergamon, it had written the following: " _Kal-El If you are reading this it means you are safe and out of the catastrophe. Inside this capsule, you will find the most important findings of our civilization, but also the true spirit of Krypton. No matter what happened to our nation, we will prevail as long as there is one of us embodies our values: strength, courage and justice. Let those values be your guide and follow them through your life, remember: For your mother and me you will always be the promised prince of Krypton. We love you Kal"._

After reading that, Clark was deeply moved and tears began to roll down his cheeks, he silently cried for the parents and the people of Kripton, then something inside him urged him to go and find the temple of Rao. When Jonathan Kent returned a couple of hours later, Clark was completely resolved to travel to Kandor.

"Are you sure about this Clark?"

"Yes, I need to go to Kandor and see the city, perhaps then I can understand more about Krypton."

"We will go with you," said Martha.

"Ma, there is no need, I can fly there."

"We were wrong when we allowed Lord Luthor to take you away. We are not going to make the same mistake twice; we are not going to leave you alone."

"But what about the farm?"

"Peter our most faithful steward will take care of it."

"But you have never left Smallvile."

"There is always a first time, besides we will only stay away for a couple of weeks at most."

"Ma, Pa, I cannot thank you enough!"

"You are the best son we could possible ask for. We will go with you to Kandor or to anyplace you need to go," said Martha Kent.

"Just give us a few days to get ready and then we will go," added Jonathan.

After a couple of days of frantic activity, the Kents were ready to leave in search of Kandor and the temple of Rao. Their plans were to return to Smallvile before the Winter's Solstice, but sometimes things does not go as planned.

* * *

Although it was autumn, the night of the masquerade was unusually cold and the air had a strange chill within. For the people on the ball the slight change of temperature went unnoticed, however, for one man wearing a white porcelain mask was as if an alarm had just set off, and he disappeared from the large and radiant royal ballroom.

Nobody seemed to detect him as he walked through the corridors, getting further inside the castle and away from the party. He had an uncanny talent to blend with the shadows, and soon he was a few yards outside the heart of the castle: the royal chambers.

He wasn't surprise when he didn't see any of the royal guards doing their usual rounds. He expected that. Immediately he placed himself next to a pillar around the corner that was unusually dark, but that was okay with him. He loved the dark, the cold on the other hand, he couldn't stand and it was freezing. His hands almost went numb because of the icy air. ' _I hope I don't have to wait too long here, if everything goes according to the plan, this will be over soon, but then again most of the times, things don't go according to plan'_   he thought to himself while padding his body to make sure he had enough daggers and his favourite sword within him.

He covered the white laughing mask made of porcelain with the ample hood of his black cloak. He disliked the mask, however it was a personal request from his employer, a sort of private joke. He complied because the thought of having a man such as his employer as an enemy send chills down his spine: that man was so full of envy and had such a twisted mind that even managed to surprise him. And he was a hard man to shock, he had seen the worst of humanity too many times; since he was twelve years old and became an orphan devoid of home and parents by Kryoto's explosion, scarred by the fire, often he was shoo away from every place he went. He spent many nights and days freezing and starving, praying to Rao for a quick dead, but everyday he survived, until he found the single thing in which he excel: Killing. Now, twelve years later, he was at the pinnacle of his "career", and tonight it was going to be his masterpiece.

Just around the corner he saw the image of an idyllic family, something he once had. He dismissed that idea; today they were just nothing but the ticket to a better life, to lots of money and leaving behind the darkness that surrounded him. He held his breath until he saw the three figures passed beside him. He let the darkness of the pillar and started to briefly and silently follow them, while withdrawing his sword and immediately charged against the man, wounded him in the shoulder. The dark-haired man was older than he was, but his reflexes were swift; he could tell the man was a well-trained soldier, and yet despite all that, he was no match for him. Using his sword, he blocked the trusts that the older dark-haired man tried to give him, and using a dagger he stab him in the heart.

His next target was the woman, ' _Easy'_  he thought but she turned out to be trickier. She ran screaming. He hated that; he wanted this to be a quiet and clean job. He saw her as she embraced her son carrying him despite the boy's imminent protests. He tossed away a couple of daggers, and with a precision only achieved by years of training, he hit her both in the back and in the legs. Although she collapsed, the woman keep moving trying to protect his son and screaming for help. He decided not to take any more chances and with his sword, he severed her head ' _A quick dead'_.

That left only the boy, who fell on the floor when his mother collapsed since she was carrying him. The boy got up under his dead mother's embrace, and quickly wielded his sword. He laughed behind the mask ' _Such a beautiful sword, wasted in a boy'_  he thought, and decided to make a lethal stroke but to his surprised the kid blocked his hit ' _This is going to be fun'_  he thought, but his smile soon faded when he felt a jolt of sharp pain on his right leg. He looked down only to see the shadow of a wolf that bite him with all its might, afterwards the wolf jump to him reaching for his throat. He was fighting the beast and eventually he grasped one of the multiple daggers he always carried with him, and stab the wolf many times, but it was of no use, the animal had already sank its fangs on his throat and he was mortally wounded. The last thing he saw were the red eyes full of ire of the wolf.

* * *

Thomas and Martha royal exequies were brief and a low-key event, only attended by the members of the court and a few selected monarchs, a sharp contrast with the flamboyant masquerade party the night of their dead. Their son, the young prince of Gotham, stood there stoical leading the crowd when the corpses of the King and the Queen were placed inside the Wayne's mausoleum. Right next to him was Alfred, his loyal maestre. However, in a prevalent place was Gotham' s Seneschal, with a contrite face.

Lionel Luthor, was among the selected few royal families who attended the funeral, and he find hard to suppressed a smile when he saw the Seneschal walking at the vanguard of the funeral procession, with a poignant face. ' _What a good actor, inside he must be beaming, he had waited for this moment since the day he arrived to Gotham as Thomas foster brother'_. Luthor waited for the right the moment to expressing his condolences to the young prince of Gotham, and taking advantage of the proximity, Lionel exchange a meaningful look with the Seneschal, a complicit gaze that didn't went unnoticed to Alfred Pennyworth, who saw in that moment the eyes of the Seneschal glow with satisfaction.

Alfred knew the Seneschal since he was a boy, not older than Bruce was now, and he could tell he had business with Lionel Luthor, the association left him uneasy, the two of them together could only mean danger. Then he turned to his right side and saw Bruce stoic face, the kid was a shadow of his former self, long gone were the days when he smiled, and now although he was acting with dignity his eyes had a strange look, devoid of any spark of life. Alfred's heart sank, Bruce was alone, his whole family was gone, and now he was surround by people who will want to take advantage of him, in that moment Alfred Pennyworth made a promise to himself: He will do anything in his power to take care of Bruce and protect him from harm.

Soon after the funerals, Bruce retreated to his chambers only to come outside after a few hours with a dishevelled look; he tossed all his toys and asked the servants to take them away. His next order was to ask that his father entire personal weapons were place inside his chambers. Then he closed the door and he didn't went out of his chambers for the next three days.

Many nations send their condolences to Gotham, even Themyscira, much to the Seneschal surprise, but what astonish him the most, was the small wooden box that came along with the letter. The Box had attached a small note that said "to Bruce Wayne". He was about to throw it away when curiosity took the best of him, he opened the box and he found inside a beautiful red flower as fresh as if was just cut from the garden, its delicate smell gave him peace and tranquillity. He decided to keep the flower for himself, he could tell the flower was a gift from love, somebody at Themyscira cared deeply about the prince and then he remembered the last days of Thomas and his insistence on have a stronger relation with that island full of immortal women. He didn't like that, if the prince had a powerful ally, he will have a hard time getting ride of him. So wrap in his thoughts he was, that he didn't notice when Lionel Luthor entered the large regal room that worked as the Seneschal private study.

"Cai… Already taking time off to smell the flowers?," Lionel asked when he saw the Seneschal handling a red flower in his hands. The Seneschal quickly put the flower inside a wooden box and closed it.

"Lionel, I forgot how sneaky you are".

" Come don't be so sad, you can drop the act with me or I actually believe you are sorry for Thomas' dead."

" He was my foster-brother," Cai hissed.

" Yes, but as his foster-brother you don't have any right to claim Gotham's throne, unless something tragic happened. Congratulations! You are officially the ruler of Gotham … if only for the next six years until Bruce turns eighteen" said Lionel with a hint of irony.

"Many things can happen in six years," said Cai cryptically.

"Indeed… How is everything with the council?, " asked Lionel in an all business tone.

"I have them eating from the palm of my hand".

" Would they back your declaration of war against the Nordic nations?"

" Of course, they loved Thomas and Martha, and they want revenge, or at least that is their official statement, most of them are just ambitious blocks that are thrilled with the perspective to gain more power and money".

" Most of them? Who is not?"

" Lucius Fox."

"That fool! He is going to ruin all our plans."

"Not to worry Lionel, I have it under control, If the majority of the council agrees, Lucius' vote will be not mean a thing. Anyway, we need to make this war short and that is when your boy comes in handy."

"Clark?"

" Yes, according to you, he is an extraordinary soldier; he could be the weapon we need to win the war".

" I won't count with that."

" What happened?."

"He left during the festival and I cannot find him since."

" How could that be possible? You are a very resourceful man, and Smallvile is such a little town …Are you planning to take advantage of me Lionel, to keep Clark in hiding and then use him against me?"

"I wish that would be the case Cai, but it turns Clark is unpredictable as any boy his age. But no worries I have other resources."

" I hope so, we need to have swift victories and we need to win."

" And we will. I have other powerful allies."

" Who?"

" General Zod and Ares."

"Those are your powerful allies? One is a has been and the other is a myth."

" You are wrong, Zod is a military genius and Ares is far from being a myth, he will help us."

" What they want in exchange?"

" Zod wants to be recognised as the ruler of Krypton. I don't know about you but I don't have any problem to let him be the ruler of the ashes of Kandor, and as for Ares, he is happy to have a world-wide war, he says that will make him more powerful."

" I don't like to deal with the Kryptonian traitor or with the Olympian, both are too temperamental, they cannot be trusted."

" Don't trust the men, trust their motives and ambitions."

" Agreed. So when are you plan to meet them?"

" I'll met each as soon as I leave Gotham."

" Good, then I won't keep you further."

" Wait Cai… What about Bruce?"

" What about him?"

" I heard he became wild, picking up fights with everyone from his guards to the maids, training with his master of arms from dusk until dawn; the servants are afraid of him, they say he sleeps with his sword on the side. He is becoming ungovernable and unnecessary risk. You need get rid of him Cai."

" That was the plan all along, if not for that stupid wolf and that incompetent Kryptonian, we won't be having this discuss Lionel," he said fed-up.

" I'm serious Cai, the kid is a threat, you need to get him under control."

" I will. For instance, you'll be glad to know Bruce will leave Gotham as soon as the winter is over."

" Where to?"

" East."

" East?"

" Yes, I won't risk his life leaving him here while we are at war. He need to go to a safe place such as the Easter nation where we have allies."

Lionel smirk, he could see Cai's train of though "Travelling to the East nation is a long journey full of hazards even in peace times, I cannot imagine how dangerous the roads will become during the war."

" Oh, I'll be devastated if something terrible happened to Bruce!," said Cai with a smile on his lips.

" Yes, I'm sure you will," said Lionel with a mocking tone, while he walked to the door, he was about to leave when Cai voice stopped him.

" Lionel."

" Yes?"

" What about Themyscira?"

" I could ask Ares to help us with that, although I wouldn't worry about the island if I were you. The Queen has severed all tides with any of the nations, the Amazons doesn't seem to care about any of us."

" Anyway, I'll like to meet Ares."

" I thought you say he was a myth," he replied surprised.

" Yes, but as you mentioned he may be helpful."

" Ok, I'll let you know when I meet him. Now I have to go, as lovely as your company is, Gotham is too cold and gloomy for me now."

Cai watched Lionel go, and once he was alone he contemplated again the wooden box that had inside the red flower. He didn't want to share with Lionel that Themyscira send a condolence note, signed by the Queen or that somebody at the island send Bruce a red flower. His instincts told him that he need to get Bruce away from Gotham and further away from Themyscira as soon as possible. He opened the wooden box and crushed the flower.


	11. Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hippolyta whises for oblivion. Clark finds a new name and guidance. Bruce starts a new journey.

 

* * *

 

When she heard about Bruce parent's dead, she asked her mother to let her go to the funerals or at least send a letter to Bruce, but as she expected Hippolyta refused, however, Diana managed to send a wooden box with the red flower of comfort inside. Just after that, her nightmares got worse. Every night she wake up in pain, at first she scream Bruce's name, but eventually she only wake up in tears, with a great feeling of sorrow.

Hippolyta was deeply worried, no matter how many infusions of tea they served Diana, every night she had nightmares. The Queen decided to turn again to Hades, and ask him to erase Diana's memories from Gotham, ' _With a few drops from the river of Lethe everything will be resolve_ _, no more nightmares or memoirs from that hideous mortal boy; Diana will be as happy as ever'_ Hippolyta mused to herself.

However, Hades refused her proposal, he disliked the idea of removing his daughter's memories, specially since their time at Gotham meant also the period he started to bond with Diana as a father. Despite that, he was worry about her nightmares too, so he decided to have a serious chat with Hypnus, the God of Sleep. He went to his cave inside the underworld, where not day or night ever set, Hypnus was a dangerous God, but he was not going to tolerate that him or anyone else intrude on his daughter mind.

" Hypnus."

" My Lord Hades, what do I own the honour of your company?"

" I want to consult with you about something."

" Tell me my Lord."

" My daughter is having nightmares, not the usual bad dream, but vivid ones. What have you done to her?"

" My Lord Hades, I have nothing to do with Diana's nightmares. However, I'll have a talk to my son Morpheus."

" I want this game to be over, I don't want Diana to have nightmares again."

" I'm afraid that is impossible my Lord."

" Why?"

" You know the nightmares are messages my Lord, and only the dreamer can sever them."

" Are you saying that Diana has nightmares because she wants to?"

" In a way yes. Do you know what the dreams are about?"

" I cannot be sure, but I believe they are about a mortal boy she met while we where at Gotham."

" She befriended a mortal? That is a never a good thing. I'll talk to Morpheus and I'll see how much involvement he had on this. In mean time, the only thing I can offer to help is to make her profound asleep and dreamless, she won't remember her dreams once she wakes up."

"That will be sufficient for now. Thank you Hypnos."

"You are welcome my Lord."

As soon as Hades left, Hypnus turned to a dark corner of his magnificent hall and his son Morpheus came out from the shadows.

" How much did you hear?"

" Enough."

" Are you involved on this?"

" I won't deny it. The princess asked for help and who am I to refuse the pledge of a demigod? Especially since, she is the daughter of the Lord of the Underworld."

"You knew the consequences; you allow her to connected with a mortal boy."

"No father, even as powerful as I am, I didn't construct their link. They were already bound; I've just help them to communicate to each other."

" What did you do?"

" I allow them to have vivid dreams about each other. To be honest I thought I was enabling a fantasy, but I was surprise to find they can sense what happens to the other, they have a psyche link."

" That is impossible!"

" Is it? You can have that kind of bond through a love or blood relationship. You don't think they are siblings?"

" Of course not! Diana is Hades only child and as for Hippolyta, her other son died long time ago."

"Then love it is."

"That is even worst. That means Diana is the Amazon who will change Themyscira forever."

" What are you talking about?"

" There is an old prophecy among the Amazons, which says the day will come when one Amazon will change the world. She will be powerful, compassionate and fearless; she will help and love both mortals and immortals."

" That does not sound too bad."

" In the end she will die because of that love."

" Ok, that is not so good. Nevertheless, we are not sure if Diana is that Amazon, after all she is just a little girl of twelve years old, how deeply in love could she be with the mortal boy? This is a phase. It will pass."

"For you own sake I hope it pass, I don't want to have the God of the Underworld as an enemy."

* * *

In the mean time, at the Mount Olympus, near to the throne of Zeus, Ares was furiously strolling down.

" My son, I hate to see your beautiful face with that scar" Said Hera with sadness.

" You and me both mother. I want revenge, lift my ban on Themyscira, allow me to show Hippolyta and her daughter how they should treat a god, that way Hades will understand that on the Olympus we are not merciful and he will fear us."

" Sometimes you are so childish. You seem to forget Hades is part of the Parthenon of the Olympus and Hippolyta is one of our most loyal subjects, she is our protégé. You went too far when you attacked Diana."

"Mother, that girl needs discipline; she befriended a mortal, and was help him by teaching some our fighting techniques."

" That is not a crime."

" It was a mortal boy from Gotham!"

" Perhaps Diana has a poor taste in friends, but what can I do? I'm not her mother, Hippolyta will take care of her."

" You know Hippolyta is worthless, looked at what she did with you grandson."

" Ares, we both know Hippolytus was a reckless boy."

" That was not true, he was intrepid and brave. He was perfect! " Ares said livid, his eyes were about to get teary.

Hera felt a sharp pawn of pain in her heart, so she decided to take a risk

" Ares, dear, why don't you move on? After all if you love to be a father so much, you can have another child, I'm sure there are plenty of goddess, women and Amazon alike that will love to bear your son."

" My son cannot be substitute. Unlike his mother, I will always honour his memory."

" I hate to see you so grim, what can I do to help you?."

" Lift my ban on Themyscira."

" That is out of the question."

" Then punish Hippolyta, make an example out of her."

" Hippolyta has already suffered a lot. For instance, she was devastate when Diana was missing… Besides, I like her. She has always been a very loyal subject to me, not for once she gave in to your father advances, unlike so many others."

" Yet, you didn't help her to find Diana."

" Hades talked to us, he said he had everything under control and that it was a family affair. We respect that, in the end everything resolved well."

" Not everything, I have an awful scar, and Diana befriended a mortal boy."

" You knew Hades' temper, and what did you expected when you attacked his only child? I heard you whipped the girl with vengeance. You should be thankful your brother bestowed amazing healing powers upon her otherwise; you would fall the of Hades wrath. And as for Diana befriended a mortal boy, that is inconsequential."

" You didn't see what I saw."

" What do you mean?"

"That boy was willing to kill me and to die for her, and she was willing to do the same for him. That relationship is dangerous."

"You are overreacting. How old is that boy?," said Hera dismissing her son assessment.

" I don't know, he looked around Diana's age."

" You are afraid of a twelve-year-old?."

" Of course not, but I don't like when mortals are disrespectful to us. Remember Theseus or Heracles?"

"If it makes you feel better, I will stop that relation."

" How?"

"If Diana and a mortal ever fall in love, I will stripped her from my gifts as well as her immortality."

" I like that idea," he said with a pleasant smile on his lips.

" I knew you would, now come, look for Dionysus to serve us some wine, all this discussion made me thirsty."

* * *

Clark went along with his mother and father to Kandor. He didn't know what to expect, he was confuse, the life he thought he had been a lie and he felt responsible for the people of Krypton.

As soon as he arrived to Kandor, his heart broke; He only saw ashes and destruction, the memories long gone of a city that the history claimed as splendors and powerful. All those things were ghosts of a glorious past that he knew it was not going to come back soon.

His parents made camp among the ruins of the palace of Kandor. There he could see the past glory of the House of El. It was an odd feeling, very confusing and at the same time familiar. He decided to walk around, and in the middle of the city in ruins he eventually found his way to the temple of Rao.

The temple was in ruins, but curiously enough, the altar was still standing. He decided to make a small prayer to Rao, then he saw an oval mirror and it stroke him as odd that with all the destruction the mirror was still intact. He brushed away the dust and to his surprise the image of a man appear in the mirror, as if he were looking trough a window, he almost drop the mirror in shock that moment.

"Don't be afraid Kal-El."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Rao. And I've been waiting for you."

"You know I'll come?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I'm a god Kal –El, but most importantly you cannot run away from your destiny."

"And what is my destiny?."

"You are destiny to bring glory to the people of Krypton, you are the spirit of our people, you are my heir. I come at this time to you, to guide you and to prepare you for what will come."

"What will come?"

"War has unfold, soon must of the kingdoms will be involved."

"Smallville! we must return to our farm" Said Clark with alarm.

"No, you mission is here. The farm and Smallvile, are now your past, you must prepare to master your powers and you have to learn how to lead the people of Krypton."

"But…"

"Kal –El you are not destined to be a farmer, you are the prince of Krypton, and you have duties with your people. Now listen to me. I've passed to another spiritual plane, the only place where I can have a physical form now is at the fortress of solitude, a palace that is at the near the coldest place at earth. You will easily survive there with the powers I conferred you, but Jonathan and Martha won't . They must stay at Kandor, here they will be safe from the devastations of the war. But I need you to be swift. We have little time, before, the fortress will be blocked by the war."

"but that will mean that I have to leave my parents."

"Yes."

The answer make him nervous and left him with a feeling of uneasy, he had just reunited with the Kents and now he will have to leave them again. He felt like a sharp dagger was piercing his heart.

"Kal-El, you must have faith and trust me. You need to learn to control your powers and to get used to your long-term mission in life."

"What is that mission?"

"To reconstruct Krypton."

"How? I do not know where or how to begin."

"You are not only a boy, you are my heir, and I'll guide you."

* * *

The hard winter with its long dark nights and emptiness was gone but Bruce felt completely heart-broken and more than anything, he felt a rage that consumed him. He wasn't a fool, it was obvious someone inside his castle wanted his parents and him dead, that he survived the attack was merely because his mother and the wolf sacrificed for him. That made him felt so guilty and paranoid, except from Alfred and Lucious he distrust most of the people around him.

Bruce spent his days training relentlessly and thinking of possible scenarios of things he could have done to prevent the assassination. While his nights were plague with nightmares, where he dreamt of pouring rain that turned into blood, or beautiful gardens that burned into ashes, but every time when he thought in his dreams that he was about to die, the shadows play in the shape of Diana, and he heard her calling his name. Only once when his parents recently died, he could see her in his dreams as vivid as if she were next to him, and as she ran to him, he embrace her so tightly as if his life depend on that. But most of the nights her image became less clear as if she were cover by a dense fog.

When spring arrived to Gotham, the seneschal told Bruce that for his own safety he must went to the Easter Nation. Although Alfred and Lucious opposed to the idea, Bruce didn't care. He went away with only Alfred as escort to the dangerous roads of East. Many times during their travel thieves tried to robbed them, but Alfred was a great swordsman and not once they were rob, despise their adventures and the deep bond he had with Alfred, Bruce melancholy as well as his nightmares remained.

After weeks of hazardous travel they finally arrived to the East kingdom. Bruce was astonish by the eastern palace's magnificent. The emperor was courteous but indifferent and although he provided for Bruce and Alfred, it was obvious he didn't want them there. The war between Gotham, Metropolis and their allies against the Nordic Nations was turning into a gruesome massacre, where thousands were dying on daily basis, and it has just started. The eastern imperator didn't want to get too much involved on it, he felt that having the prince of Gotham as a refugee inside his palace made him a perfect target for the Nordic.

The eastern court was very rigid; they have hundreds of protocols, and most of the time Bruce felt like a prisoner inside the castle of the eastern imperator. One day he overheard sounds of sword fighting; curious he went there and observed how the two eldest sons of the emperor were engross in some sort of sword playing, although the techniques were like fencing, their swords were different in shape to any he had seen before, and the rules seem different too. He observed them carefully, when suddenly they came to halt, the oldest son of the emperor, Takaharu, who was a couple of years older than him, whispered something to his younger brother, Kuniharu, and both turned around to see Bruce.

"You are not allowed to be here, " said Takaharu.

" I didn't know that. Besides, is this the way you treat a royal guest?, " asked Bruce not without a hint of irony

" No, but you are wondering our palace uninvited. Are those the manners of a prince?, " replied Takaharu,

" I guess, I'm not like most princes. What were you doing?," asked again Bruce.

" Is not of your business, " said fast Takaharu.

" It looked from a far as fencing."

" It was not fencing; it was Kenjutsu," said with pride the younger of the brothers, Kuniharu.

" You won't mind if I try?," asked Bruce.

Both brothers looked at each other, with a mix of surprise and amusement.

" I don't want to hurt you, it will be unpolite," said with arrogance Takaharu.

" No worries, you won't ," said Bruce with a smirk "Come on, I'm dying of boredom here. It will be fun."

Takaharu was annoy, it was obvious he didn't like Bruce's attitude, but he saw in his dare an opportunity to taught a lesson to his overconfident guest.

"OK, let's do it. Kuniharu, lend Bruce a katana"

"But Takaharu…" protested the younger brother.

"Let's do this fair. Why don't I borrow your katana and you borrow your brother's weapon?"

Takaharu was upset but he didn't want to be perceived as unfair, specially if he was going to defeat Bruce.

"All right. The rules are simple don't get yourself kill."

For the next twenty minutes, Bruce and Takaharu took turns to trounced each other. Bruce, couldn't help but to admire Takaharu's technique, that emphasized the early thrusts and the throat as a primary target. However, he was a good fencer, and in the end he parried Takaharu and left him without his katana.

" You are good ," said the eastern prince with sincerity.

"Not really ," said Bruce with a voice devoided of emotion.

"Don't patronized me, I know when I lost, " said Takaharu angry.

" I'm not patronizing you…I just need to become better ."

" Why? "

" You won't understand ."

" Try me ."

" If I were a better fighter, I could protect the people I cared the most ."

" You have an army and lot of guards to protect you and I'm sure you can use some to protect any people you want."

"You can bribe guards or they may not care about the persons I love, that is why I need to be a better fighter and that also why I need an invulnerable armour."

" Armour's are useless unless you know how to fight. In the later stages of kenjutsu, one can win without a blade, " said Takaharu.

" Is that truth? " asked Bruce with hope.

" That is what the legend says, although I haven't seen anyone do that, " replied Takaharu.

" There is one that can, " interjected Kuniharu.

" He is a myth Kuniharu," said Takaharu scolding at his younger brother.

" He is not! ," insisted Kuniharu.

" Even if he lives, he most be really old," pointed out Takaharu.

" Age is meaningless. What matters is the state of mind," said Kuniharu.

" Yeah, yeah, those words are nice poetry but when you are old, your bones will beg to differ" 

" A true kenjutsuka doesn't aged," said Kuniharu.

" You had listen too much Kenjutsu's stories… Nobody has seen sensei Shihan Matsuda in years."

" Is that his name? Is he the one who can win a fight without a sword?" asked Bruce.

" Yes Bruce, and if you really want to become a great warrior, you will have to learn from the best, and he is the greatest master of martial arts in the world," said Kuniharu with determination.

"I'd have to agree with Kuniharu on that," concurred Takaharu.

"Where can I find him? ," asked Bruce with earnest.

"He lives at the top of the mountain near the Himalayas, but even if the sensei is alive I wouldn't be very confident he will accept you as an apprentice, " mentioned Takaharu.

"Why not ?," asked Bruce defiant.

"With a sensei such as Shihan Matsuda is all about honour and commitment, he will see through any lie you may try to play him with, and he is not dazzle about power or wealth. If by any chance you become his apprentice don't expect him to treat you with deference because you are a prince, for him you will be nothing more than a servant; you will have to prove worthy of the knowledge he will share with you. Moreover, the training will be brutal. "

"Yes, but at the end of that training of you survive you will more than a man, you will be invincible," said Kuniharu with pride.

"Then I'll go and met him," said Bruce with total resolution.

"The road is dangerous," said Takaharu.

"Not as dangerous as the roads were when we came here," said Bruce.

"It different …when you came here, you faced common thieves, when you train with Sensei Matsuda, the road in itself is a test. The road is treacherous, and narrow, if you don't look careful you can easily get lost or fell in the cliffs."

"I'm not afraid of highs," said Bruce with a smirk.

"Well if you are so determinate, I'll help you. I'll provide for you," finally stated Takaharu.

"Perfect it's settle then," concluded Bruce.

"There is something else you need to know: you must go alone," said Takaharu as a warning.

"Then I´ll say my goodbyes," mentioned Bruce in a cold way.

Both brothers watched Bruce go, and for a moment they went silent, until the younger brother Kuniharu smacked his older sibling.

"Takaharu are you serious?! Is your offer legit?," asked with worry Kuniharu.

"Yes".

" What will father say? Bruce is our guest!".

"Father will be pleased; Bruce's presence here endangered us," replied Takaharu with a light smile on his lips.

"Why?," asked Kuniharu perplexed.

" Kuniharu, don't you see? The world is at war, and Bruce's kingdom is the one leading the others to battle, that he is here, turns us into an easy mark and father cannot negotiate any alliance or truce because of his presence. But if he leaves by his own will…."

"Father could negotiate with whomever he wants, " said Kuniharu finally realising what was behind his brother offer to Bruce.

"Look, I don't have nothing against Bruce, but maybe he is right and he needs to be a better warrior. Is obvious he doesn't trust his own guards."

"So you by helping him you are in reality helping us?, " asked Kuniharu hesitantly.

"Yes little brother, and that is politics to you. You need to think ahead if you want to be my successor one day, Kuniharu."


	12. Invincible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce has an unusual gift for his 13th birthday. Forty months pass. Rao has a meaninful discussion.

* * *

Bruce went away to the Himalayas, despite Alfred's initial opposition. His loyal maestre changed his mind, when he realised that Bruce needed to have a goal beyond studying, or otherwise his heart will be completely devoured by the immense anger he felt. He knew also that the young prince needed to improve his skills as a fighter, since now  his life will be constantly threaten as the only true heir of the must powerful kingdom in the world.

Alfred went along with Bruce until they reach the small town just at the bottom of the impressive Himalayas Mountains. Although it was the early in the summer, the weather was still chill, Bruce said goodbye to Alfred, and  started to climb the dangerous narrow path to the monastery in the middle of the mountains. After a day of climbing Bruce reached a small wooden monastery, completely exhausted; he knocked at the door and after a few minutes an old woman came to the door, she looked at Bruce from head to toe, he tried to use his most charming smile and asked:

"Good evening, I'm searching for Shihan Matsuda. Zen-Buddisht Monk and legendary kenjutsuka."

"Shihan Matsuda is a myth" and without further comment she closed the door in front of Bruce's face.

He was completely astonished, and he didn't know what to do, so he sat in front of the door, for a moment he contemplated leaving but then he saw out of the corner of his eye a shadow, inside the monastery. ' _Somebody is watching me. If they think I could easily be turned down they are in for a surprise'_

Days passed and Bruce stood there trough rain, sun and the chilling cold, but every time he though about giving up, he looked at the small coat of arms that Diana give him and that make him more determined. One peculiar morning when he was very tired, the door open and in the frame of it was none other that Shihan Matsuda. He just held the door open while Bruce entered. For some reason, although Bruce felt tired, his heart felt warm again, so wrapped on those feelings he was that he forgot it was his thirteen birthday.

* * *

**_40 months later_ **

Bruce spent many days and weeks training the different positions and exercises that sensei Matsuda told him, his abilities as a warrior enhanced, not only in fencing but in martial arts, it seem he had a natural talent for that and besides he was totally driven to excel in the art of fighting. However, as sensei Matsuda said the fiercest weapon of a warrior was his mind, so Bruce entered one of the must difficult parts of his training: The training of the mind. His sensei taught him to control his emotions, to resist the pain by mediating and breathing, to survived even in the harsh conditions, with nothing but the elements that the nature gave him. But he also taught him the value of how to taunt the enemy's mind, to play with his fear and to fight him in his own game.

Still, his wish for vengeance consumed him. He knew that although the man who killed his parents had die, the ones that plotted against them and ordered their dead were still alive, and he wanted nothing more to unmasked them and see them suffer, and that was his motivation. He worked beyond the limit of his forces, because it was his way to subsidize the nightmares. However, many nights even when he was completely exhausted, the nightmares prevailed, and he wake up sweating in the middle of the nnight with a scream pressed inside his chest. Often in those moments, a voice, sweet and caring called him, it was a sound barely audible, a mere whisper that only he could hear, but it was then he could close his eyes and rest into a dreamless sleep.

The morning after one particular long night full of nightmares, when the sweet voice didn't come to his aid. His sensei decided to test him, and ask him to mediate in the middle of extreme cold, with barely a piece of cloth to cover his private parts. The goal was to gain a perfect control of the mind over the body, so he would be able to disregard the cold, and get warm just by thinking about it.

This was the first time he did that, and it were extremely difficult; he could feel all the freezing cold of the wind around him, piercing his skin like frosty claws. And as he tried to focus on how to get warm the image of a beautiful girl with black hair and ocean blue eyes, entered his mind, as clearer as if he could see her right in front of him. Then as if she could see him too, she called his name and smiled at him, and for a brief instant he felt as happy as he once was but then everything became a blur; he felt into the river and the brazing icy waters embraced him, and left him out breath.

"Your focus is laughable! What were you thinking?," said coldly Shihan Matsuda. Bruce gingerly got out of the cold water and tried to stand up while shivering uncontrollably, then Shihan Matsuda tossed him a towel.

"I…I was thinking about a girl," said Bruce quickly wrapping himself with the towel.

That surprised Shihan Matsuda, usually Bruce was a perfect disciple, and he would not get distracted easily "A girl? You are wasting my time trying to teach you something valuable for a girl you met in the town? ," scolded sensei Matsuda.

"No, she is a girl I meet before. For a moment, when I was meditating, I could see her, as clear as I see you now. Not as a remembered her, but as they way she should look now."

The statement did not bore well with sensei Matsuda, it was as if Bruce revealed something darker, almost prohibited, "Bruce –Kun, to gasp for love, is to need others, and that will only lead you to fear: fear that something happened to them, fear to lose them. Your goal must be not to have fear. Only the warrior that doesn't fear will become invincible."

Bruce was shock, he wasn't sure how to answered that.

Sensei Matsuda, looked at Bruce as if he could see through his soul and said "To clean your mind, I want you to do your katana exercises on the top of that hill with only one foot touching at one time the rock. Go."

"Yes sensei," Bruce said while respectfully bowing.

Shihan Matsuda watched intently as Bruce ran up the hill. He knew what it meant that Bruce saw the image of a girl while meditating, ' _He loves that girl, only true love can penetrate the mind in a state of meditation'_   thought Shihan Matsuda, and he did not like the idea that his best disciple could get lost out of love.

Even after a day of long training, Bruce couldn't let the image of Diana go, her beautiful face dance around his mind all day and when he finally went to sleep he dreamt about her. He had not dream about her in months, mostly because his dreams were replace by nightmares of the fatal night when his parents died. Now, he felt so close to her, it was comforting. " _Diana_ " he whispered in his sleep.

The next day, he wake up early only to find the wife of his sensei already waiting for him, with the breakfast ready at the table. He respectfully bowed to her as greeting and started to eat his breakfast in silence, as he usually did every day during the past months.

"Bruce …Sensei Matshuda doesn't hold the unique truth."

" What are you talking Matshuda Sama?, " asked Bruce surprised to hear her speak more than the few polite words that they usually exchanged.

" The aim to meditation is not to escape feeling, you meditate to bear your emotions without judgement, only by knowing them you can truly know yourself. Don't block parts of yourself Bruce, we are all made of light and darkness," she said in a melodic voice, that made him feel understood for the first time in months.

"I'll try to do that, but sensei Matshuda, says that if I want to be invulnerable I most draw away all my light and I need to be invulnerable to protect Gotham," explained Bruce.

" Bruce, I know what happened to your parents, but you still have a kind heart, don't fill it with hate, don't close your heart to love. After all is gone, love will be the only redeeming thing you will find in your life," said Matshuda Sama.

" Love is blindness," interjected Sensei Matshuda who entered the room just in that moment. "Don't fill Bruce with the wrong ideas woman, love is a weakness."

" A weakness that can become the only strength you may need," she replied and left.

During the next weeks Bruce achieved the Zen state and could stay in a place surrounded by cold and feel warm, but his toughest exercise yet was to draw away all the light inside him and let in all the darkness, it was in those moments when he had a hard time to breath. He felt only hate and feelings of vengeance. Then one afternoon after one particularly hard exercise, he found a letter addressed to him, carefully placed in the middle of the large dinning table of the Matshuda's house, it was from Lucius, and it said:

_"Bruce, I hope my letter finds you well. The war is over, Gotham and its allies won._

_You have to come back and claim your rightful place as heir to the throne._

_Gotham needs you"_

"What is wrong Bruce?," asked Matshuda Sama when she saw his face clouded with concern.

"The war is over. I have to get back to Gotham"

"Your training is incomplete, if you leave now you will never be a true kenjutsuka," said sensei Matshuda with determination.

"But sensei…Gotham needs me."

"If you go now, you will never be invincible."

Bruce froze, during all those months, he didn't want anything more than that, it became an obsession, almost as his obsession to avenge his parents.

"Tonight we rest, if you are here in the morning I'll assume that you will be the same devoted disciple I had and that you will not yearn for Gotham, but if in the morning you are gone, don't bother to come back here. The door of this house will be forever closed for you", said sensei Matshuda with his usual serious tone, and left.

Bruce spent another sleepless night, sleep usually evaded him but that nigh, completely eluded him. So he decided to meditate and while he was reaching the zen state, everything went black as if he were surround by an obscure curtain, then he saw a tiny point of light that came in the middle of the darkness and the sweet feminine voice that often came to his rescue called him with urgency: "Bruce, open your eyes!"

He opened his eyes and as an instinct his hand went for the sword his father gave him months before dying, it was his habit to sleep with the sword at his side. Then he saw how the shadows moved around him, suddenly the air shifted and as an instinct he moved away, just in time to elude a deadly metal star that stocked in the wood behind him. Afterwards he swiftly got up, and the shadows came and attacked him as one, however, his sensei entered the room, and in a swift movement, he took down three of them, but more came and suddenly they were surround by a mass of shadows. The pale light of the moon reflected the sheer steel of the blades from the katanas the shadows withdraw. It was eerie to see how outnumbered they were, but sensei Matshuda was an extraordinary warrior, he easily took down more than dozen of the shadows, while Bruce himself, took down seven of them. Abruptly the shadows retreated and a voice came from the darkness:

"Sensei Matshuda, this is not your fight, give us the boy and we will spare you."

"This boy is my disciple, and you are intruders in my house, with not honour."

"As you wish. Shadows you know our orders, spare no one."

"No, don't kill the boy!," yelled Matshuda Sama as she broke into the room "You promised you won't hurt him."

"You called these scum to break into our home?," asked in total disbelief Shihan Matshuda.

"Home?," replied Matshuda sama with a bitterly laugh "This is a jail, not a home, a prison run by a cruel and twisted man. I could not stand idle watching you destroy Bruce and turn him into a soulless man like you", she concluded with a look that show nothing but contempt and hate for her husband.

"Enough! Shadows attack, spare no one, " then a shadow with a swift movement wounded Matshuda sama with a katana in the middle of the stomach.

Bruce would never forget the look at sensei Matshuda eyes, it was as if the shadows had killed him, with a war cry he entered a frenetic state and Bruce could barely see his movements. He went in killing spree and soon blood covered the room, as a proof that the legends were right; sensei Matshuda was the supreme kenjutsuka. Bruce saw with sadness how his sensei, kneeled besides his wife, as she whispered something at his ear with her last dying breath, she refused to let him touch her, instead she looked at him and smiled, Bruce was in shock, for the second time in his life, a woman sacrificed her life to let him live. Then a strange voice, got him out of his musings, his sensei addressed him in a way he had ever heard him before: "Give me a match".

Bruce look for it in the middle of the chaos left during the mortal invasion, eventually he found the matches and pass them to his sensei, the death looked in his eyes made Bruce shivered, it was the look of a mad man.

He was astonish to see how Sensei Matshuda got up, lighted the match and tossed it directly to the body of his now dead wife, soon all the place started to burn, Bruce was about to run for water, but the steel arm of his sensei hold him.

"No, Bruce-Kun, it is better that this house burns to ashes, this place has the stain of dead, is not longer a safe place for meditation and learning."

"But sensei."

"I am not longer your sensei. I release you from your oath as a disciple. Go back to Gotham. Soon the sun will raise, you will be fine Bruce –Kun. We will never see each other again, this goodbye, good luck".

And with that sensei Matshuda started to walk to the darkness and although Bruce tried to follow him, there was no sign of him.

* * *

Kal was standing in the middle of the air, his eyes closed and the voice of Rao inside his mind.

"Breathe slowly Kal, I need you to focus on your next target, once you open your eyes you will be able to direct your heat vision with precision, I want you to directly at earth, at the centre of the flower and hit it with your heat vision."

"But Rao, the flower is miles away, I barely can see the camp of flowers."

"First you need to picture the image in your mind, and do it with conviction. Now go."

Kal did as he was told. His skills improved after years of training with Rao at the fortress, now flying was effortless and knowing how to control his super strength or his x-ray vision was second nature to him.

He was descending to see exactly how accurate was his heat vision, when he felt a sharp pain inside his head. He never had a headache in his life, but now he could feel as if a gigantic press were squeezing his brains. He could not longer focus his vision, and suddenly everything went black, he hit the ground heavily as his speed never slow down. Rao found him unconscious, and took him fast to the fortress.

"Kal, wake up."

"Rao, my lord, I'm sorry, I failed the test."

"On the contrary, you hit the flower right in the centre, but you fainted in the middle of the air, what happen?"

"I don't know, I felt a sharp pain, and a noise so strong as if thousands of people were screaming in pain at the same, the experience is very difficult to explain, I just know it was pain as I never felt in my whole life."

"You are still very young Kal, and I'm afraid more pain will come your way."

"What?"

"You had a flash from the past. You are getting more connect with your Kryptonian heritage and more susceptible to feel the pain from others specially from the krytopnians."

"You mean those people were really in pain, I need to go and help them."

"Not now, what you felt maybe a hallucination, something caused from the strain of the training, now you need to rest."

Soon Kal felt asleep, and Rao when to a different chamber inside the fortress, a secret one only he could get access to. In there he could see the phantom zone, thanks to his inter-dimensional portal. Rao used to do that from time to time, just to be sure that the evil god was still in there. Then he saw how the evil god, looked straight at him, and got up to addressed him.

"You! You cannot hide from me Rao, not forever."

"I'm not hiding."

"You think you won because you send me to this wasteland, but you have to remember I'm a god, and soon you will feel all my fury."

"I'm already used to your threats, you don't scare me."

"Is not a threat Rao, it's a promise. You will regret the day you decided to go against me, I'll destroy everything you hold dear, I…"

Then a scream interrupted his banter, it was a cry of pain, immediately Rao got distracted and his face distorted with worrisome. The evil god took notice; it was the first time he saw Rao like that, it pleased him to know there was somebody the Kryptonian god care so much.

"Trouble in paradise Rao?, " said the evil god with irony.

"Silence!"

The scream of pain could be heard again, only louder this time.

"Kal," said Rao with concern almost as a whisper, but the evil god could hear it clearly.

"Who is Kal?. "

"None of your business," said Rao while severing the contact with the Phantom Zone, and rushing out of the secret chamber. However, in his hurry Rao forgot to push one bottom, and soon the image of the evil god appear trapped inside the large mirror. He studied carefully the large chamber, and then his red eyes glowed with delight when he saw the distinct shape of the Crystal of the House of El. His stone face distorted in a wicked smile, ' _That is my way to get out of here'_ ' _._


	13. Hunters trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An act of heroism has consecuences for Bruce.

* * *

Bruce walked for various days; he was exahusted and famish, the wounds of the fight with the shadow warriors had taken his toll on him. He gathered some things from the scraps of the fire at the Matshuda’s house, but they were not enough to feed him for long. Even though he was a good hunter, and he still had his sword on him, near the Himalayas there were not to much to hunt, so he had his hopes in the village that was still a few miles away, in there perhaps he could found something to eat.

He knew the village consisted of a couple of dozens of scarred huts, still, maybe in there it would be a place to eat. He had some unused money on him, he took out of his pocket a few coins with his grandfather profile carved in one side and W of Wayne in the other, and looked at the coins perplexed since he never knew the price of things. For fun and to take his mind out of the tiredness and hunger, Bruce decided to flipped one of coins and let it fell into the ground, ‘ _Heads, they are enough to travel to Gotham, tails they are enough for just one meal”._ As the coin felt intothe ground, his eyes suddenly catch a glimpse of something silver and thin among the harsh rocks and grass, he picked up the coin and follow with the eyes the delicate silver tread that stretched from one pile of rocks. Curiosity took the best of him, and he started to walk near the tread carefully, trying no to touch it, until he reached a dead end, where the tread simply stopped, he carefully examined that and then he could see it was a carefully constructed trap _’a hunters trap, for whom or what?’_

The answer appeared soon, when he looked at the horizon and saw a cloud of dust and heard the sound of galloping horses approaching. He took covered just in time to see how the horse crumbled in the middle, tossing their rides to the ground, however the men dressed in the chrisom and black colours, stood up fast.

“Stupid horse, you made me fall” the man in the vanguard yelled at the animal which was injured and then draw out his sword, he severed the head of the horse that had felt down because of the tread, still with blood on his ropes, he yelled at the rest of his party “Take a stand, they must be near”.

“Where?” screamed in fear another man from the party, who was wearing a crimson and black uniform too.

“I don’t know, just be on your guard, and bring the commissioner and his daughter,” said the man at the vanguard; he was the leader of sorts. The man in the chrisom –black uniform brought a man in his forties, he was tided up, along with him, was a teenager she must be not older than twelve years old, she looked scared, specially by the way the man whom killed the horse looked at her with lechery eyes. Bruce observed that from his hiding and felt disgusted.

“Look, if you hurt us, I will kill this man you are trying to protect and his daughter” he screamed to no one in particular “ I will flesh them out piece by piece, I will…” that was the last thing he said, before a green arrow pierced his leg and he started to screamed in pain.

The other men looked scared, and suddenly a rain of green arrows poured over them, they tried to get covered but it was not use, except from the commissioner and his daughter all of them got hurt. However, in the middle of the commotion, the man who decapitated the horse crawled and held the teenager girl close to him while he put a dagger near to her neck “If you tried to kill me I will take her down with me,” he said as his hand was trembling, dangerously close to the skin of the girl.

“No, you will not do such a thing “ said a tall man who was wearing a green and black kind of uniform and who suddenly appeared just a few feet from the man with the knife, as if he materialised from thin air. Along with him there were others wearing the same black and green uniform, which surrounded the other men in crimson – black.

Bruce contemplated the whole scene hidden behind a pile of rocks, and he could not stay indifferent to the fact of the man treating the little red-haired girl, was obviously scared ‘ _fear only conducts to stupid reactions’_ he thought, and quickly he calculated the possibilities, while he withdraw a small blade shaped as a star from his pack.

 “You dared too much, we wear the colours of the seneschal, and we are part of the royal guard, we can do in this place whatever we want. Gotham protect us.”

“You are nothing but a monkey in uniform,” said the men in green and black while he got close to him.

“If you take one step closer, I will cut her throat.”

The tall dark man froze. That was all Bruce needed, he tossed the small blade and hit the man’s hand right in the middle, immediately the man released the dagger and his hold on the girl , as he was in pain. The man in black and green approached him and quickly punched him in the face so hard, that he left him unconscious.

The he turn around to see the place where the star blade had come, but he saw nothing. He decided to turn his attention to the Commissioner and his daughter.

“Commissioner, miss Gordon, we will escort you to Oa, where you will be safe,” he said with authority while untying the commissioner.

“What about these men?,” asked the Commissioner.

“We will take them to a prison in Oa, where they could have a fair trial for the crimes.”

“I appreciate your help John, but I need to get back to Gotham.”

“You and your daughter had just been kidnapped there and now you want to get back?,” asked John in shock.

“This time it will be different. My daughter won’t be coming back with me” explained the commissioner with determination.

“Dad, I won’t leave you,” replied the red-haired girl, while she ran and hugged the man she called Dad tidily.

“Barbara, you are all I have, I need you to stay away from Gotham, at least until things get better”, he said stroking his daughter hair, and looking at her with infinite sadness.

“John is it possible to take Barbara to Oa?”

“Sure. But I think you should go there too.”

“That is not possible, I need to get back, if I ran away they had won, do you understand?”

John just nodded.

 “Dad I won’t leave you, I will get back to Gotham with you, we will fight this together, I will be on guard every moment I…” That all she could said before John pressure a point in her neck that made her faint.

“Take her. Later we will figure out how can you return safe to Gotham, but now we need to move, before the other bozos start to come here.”

“Thanks,” said the commissioner while he held his daughter in his arms.

Then a frantic movement started, the men in green and black started to put some green chains to the men that called themselves royal guards, Bruce recognised their banners, and was shocked, indeed they were wearing the Wayne colours but their banner displayed the seneschal’s. The surprised cost him dearly, he barely had time to pickup one of the stat shaped blades and tossed it over his shoulder, and somebody was behind him.

“Look, here is our little dagger thrower”, said a corpulent creature that looked as if he had the face of a pig. He was taller than Bruce for at least 10 inches, but Bruce didn’t felt discouraged, he held his sword, ready for an assault.

 “I’m not going to hurt you boy” warned almost playfully the big creature, at the same time he tried to grabbed him by the shoulders, but Bruce in agile movement escaped the creature hold, and started to ran.

“Hey, came back here,” said the pigged-faced creature but Bruce was fast and agile, he had covered a good distance from him, when out of nowhere a green wall appeared in front of him.

“I don’t have time to play hide and seek,” said John seriously, as he appeared behind Bruce “I cannot leave you here, so their reinforcements can capture you, torture you and you end up revelling that you saw us.”

“What makes you think they can capture me?,” replied Bruce defiant, while he touched the tip of his sword.

“You are clever …I grant you that; but you are outnumbered, in hostile land and in a low ground, you are an easy prey,” said John almost scolding Bruce.

He only raised a brow as an answer and that gesture infuriated John, the boy did not seem to realise the danger they were in, the men of the seneschal were ruthless and cruel, he had seen them killed too many innocent people before just for pleasure.

“I won’t risk my mission because of an arrogant brat. Now either you come with us walking or crawling. Choose,” John said almost livid.

It was a moment of tense silence; they looked at each other and Bruce pondered his options: he was hungry, outnumbered and in land he didn’t know, and from what he could tell these green & black uniformed men were against of killing and where heading to Gotham, just the place he wanted to go. Bruce took a long look at John, he was about his same height, and his eyes had a strange green glow, but he looked sincere, then Bruce looked at light scars on his chin that reflected he had seen many battles, but he was young, maybe just a couple of years older than him. Bruce relaxed his posture, and put his sword back on its shield.

“Good. Kilowog, blindfold him and tie him up good him unless you want to run around chasing him, ” said John. Kilowog was diligent in that task, Bruce felt the cloth tightly around his head, but he didn’t complain, he wanted to know more about these strange group of men.

“What about his sword?”

“Leave it on him, he is far too clever to try something stupid” John said and looked at Bruce straight into the eyes. “Now hurry, we wasted enough time”.

* * *

 

It was a bright day at Themyscira, the sun was up in the sky, the waves clashed softly in the near shore and the birds were signing, however, above the sounds of the idyllic paradise island, it could be hear the echo of headed sparring match between two amazons and it was clear that the black haired woman was winning.

"Diana has improved a lot. You are a good teacher," said the god of the underworld to the daemon of combat while he contemplated from a distance how his daughter was fighting fiercely against the red-haired amazon commander of the royal guards, Artemis.

"Thank you my Lord, but she is naturally gifted, she will be a great warrior, worth of legends," replied Polemos full of pride.

"Yes, she will be a great commander of my army," mentioned Hades absentminded.

"Are you planning a war exercise, My Lord?," asked Polemos confused.

"It would not be an exercise," replied seriously the god of the underworld.

"My Lord?," was all Polemos could say, even after all the years he had spent around Hades, the god was still a riddle to him, a mystery in itself, and his answer really caught him by surprise.

"Are you familiar with the prophecy of the dark god? a god who will end the other gods and will rule this world, unless three heroes stop him," said Hades casually strolling down the shores of Themycira.

Polemos was speechless and simply nodded.

"My brother fears that prophecy. As the years have passed and there is no clue about the whereabouts of the three heroes the prophecy mentioned, he has become more anxious and paranoid. Lately he had come to believe Rao was deceive and took down the wrong god, and since I fit the description of a dark god so well he is starting to get suspicious of me."

"But you have not done nothing wrong My Lord," replied Polemos instantly.

"I did rebel against him once, and that is enough. Besides, now I am more vulnerable than ever, before Diana came into my life, I did not have a weakness per se, now he only needs to threaten my daugther, for me to tremble. I don't like that feeling, I don't like to feel trap," said Hades with fire in his eyes.

"What are you going to do My Lord?"

"I renewed my alliance with Zeus, but that will not put his doubts at rest for long,"

"Are you planning to tell Diana about this?."

"No, she is still very young and innocent in the ways of politics and war. But that is why I need you to prepare her, to make her the best warrior in the Olympus, so she could defend herself against any attack at least until she turns eighteen," said Hades with earnest.

"If I may be so bold to ask, what will happen then, My Lord?"

"She will be able to stay at my realm without any side effects, and I will take her to live with me permanently," said Hades with a satisfied smile.

"Her mother will object to the idea," stated Polemos.

"Perhaps, but she cares deeply about Diana and knows that her army won't stand a chance against Zeus, whereas my army of deadly souls will be more suitable to fight him. Besides, is where she belongs as my only heir; not here as an idle princess. " concluded Hades.

"What if Diana doesn't want to go?," asked Polemos carefully.

A dangerous shadow pass for Hades features and for a moment his face distorted in the face of a demon.

"The decision is not up to her."

"My Lord, why are you so concern about Lord Zeus attacking Diana?. She is immortal"

"Polemos do not fool yourself, been immortal does not equals invulnerability, Zeus can hurt Diana without killing her in many ways. I will not take that risk. "

"But my lord, what if the real dark god appears as well as the three heroes? If that happens you will be exonerated of any suspicion and Diana will remain unharmed," tried to reason Polemos, he did not want his pupil to live forever in the underworld, he knew it that was not a place for her, her soul would slowly die until she will be nothing but a pale shadow of her former bright self.

"Unlike my brother, I do not believe in prophecies. I believe in making choices and taking the opportunities you are given. If Zeus decides to come after me, he will find me ready for battle with the best warrior on the Olympus by my side: Diana."

"My Lord, the last time you faced your brother was ...not a pleasant sight, and even as skilful as Diana is, Zeus is a powerful god."

"As well as I. And I refuse to let him come and threaten my daughter or me as he pleases. Prepare Diana well Polemos, we may face war soon, " said Hades gravely, while he put his helmet on, turning invisible and getting back to his realm.

* * *

He wake up with a stir, and looked around him, but despise his different types of visions he did not see anything out of order, only the strange sense of loneliness that surrounded him, he was alone at the fortress. Then he heard a male voice, merely a whisper that kept calling him in a plangent tone.

"Kal...Help me…" said the voice persistently. 

He started to search for the source of the voice and went up and down the fortress until finally the voice became clearer, it came from behind a large wall, when he was outside the voice became more despaired and insistent.

“Kal, please help me,” cried the voice.

He did not wait for long and in swift movement he break the thick wall as if it was made of paper, he stopped when he found out the place he was in, the room had the most strange devices he had ever seen. Among them there was a large window, only it did not reflect the outside, it was alike a window to some other world. There was nobody there but the voice kept calling him

“Kal, over here.”

He went in the direction of the voice, only to found a man in dark hood, staring at him at the other side of a window.

“Is so nice to finally met you Kal, last son of Krypton.”

“Who are you?.”

“My name is Darkseid, and I need your help.”


	14. Token

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gods decided to meddle in the lifes of Diana and Clark.

* * *

 

"Why me? and why are you there?"

"So many questions… but it is just fair, since I'm asking something important from you, something that can potentially change your life, Kal-El. "

Although it was not the first time he was refer that way, his kryptonian name in the voice of Darkseid made Clark shivered, a part of him screamed danger, and yet something very powerful draw him to the stone-face being.

Darkseid smiled, he had Kal's full attention. He studied him, the boy was almost as tall as him, his eyes had a look of pure wonder, he could see a gentle soul, innocent and naïve but also he could see the power irradiating from Kal; it surprised him, in his long life he had met very few so powerful.

"It is a long story Kal, maybe is better for you to take a seat," said Darkseid, "Long time ago Rao and I were friends, good friends, but we growth apart since we believe in different things. I believe power should shape a better world, a world where no war will arise, where not treachery will be forgotten. Rao however, believe, the world were better without our intervention, he simply contemplated his subjects and let them be. Eventually as the centuries past, I became more powerful and ruled a planet call Apokolips, my home. However, New Genesis, a nearby planet wanted to conquer us, with war upon us I looked for Rao and asked his help. Little did I know that New Genesis leader, High Father, allied with him and he offered him something he always wanted: a son, in exchanged of me. Rao tricked me, using our friendship as a bait he lured me into a trap inside this wasteland, this prison out of time and space, this phantom zone. Now I'm stranded, away from my home. Now my people are slave, my planet ruined and I am here prisoner of Rao. You are my only hope, you are the only one who can free me."

Darkseid was pleased with the effect his words had on Kal. He was a master manipulator, mixing just enough truth in it to make the lies more believable was his speciality, and his power of empathy allowed him to unveil the deepest secrets of anyone's soul. He sensed Kal did not fully trust Rao, and revelling a dark secret from his past only increased the seed of doubt Kal already had.

"It does not make sense…Why would Rao trick you or hurt you?"

" Envy…You are young Kal-El, and I wish you never feel the hurt of deception by somebody you consider your friend. Envy is a powerful force, a poison of the soul, and ruins the gods and goddesses judgment alike. Rao growth envy of me, because I fulfil the theories of our youth and because I had something he cold not have: a wife and a son."

"So that was it he was envy of you and that is the reason he imprisoned you?."

"Not it was not all. Rao was disappointed of Krypton and the kryptonians, he wanted to started all over, he saw what I did with Apokolips and wanted to start a new world there, a new Krypton. You do not have to believe if you don't want to Kal-El, but you can free me and come with me to Apokolips and see for yourself ."

"How can I free you?"

"You just need to put the crystal with the symbol of "S" right in the middle of that console, the crystal will aligned to the console and it will fit, that way the entrance that holds me in, will open."

Clark did not say a word, he just wanted to do what was right. He knew so little about Rao despite all the past months inside the fortress of solitude, and was unsure about Darkseid, but some of the things he said ring true to him. After all he saw first hand the power of envy between friends. He walked slowly to the Crystal of El, it was easy to spotted it, since it had a big "S" carved on top, he slowly let the crystal go into the hole shape with its form, and the crystal went in there fast.

"Kal, Noooo!," screamed Rao as he entered the chamber in that instant, but it was useless despite all his might the crystal had just clicked in.

The "mirror" turned into a liquid surface, and then Darkseid step out of it, as he were passing through a cascade, he was really big and tall and in a couple of strides he was in the middle of the chamber.

"Thank you Kal-El," said Darkseid and then he turned his attention to the kryptonian god, "Rao... I believe we have a pending debt," he said while his red eyes beamed, and his rays hit Rao on the calf; he smiled pleased with himself as Rao's face distorted in pain.

"Nooo!," screamed Kal outraged, and hit Darkseid with his own heat rays. The dark god did not even wince, and just turned his stone face towards Kal and said:

"Kal-El, don't."

"I helped you, but not to hurt Rao," said Kal as he helped Rao to get up.

"Kal, you are so naïve. Do you really think Rao cares about you? You are just a pawn for him, a mean to an end. Ask him Kal, ask him why he want you to be his heir, and how he left Krypton to die."

"What you are talking about?," asked Kal astonished.

"Don't listen to him Kal," pledged breathlessly Rao, still in pain.

"He doesn't want you to know that Krypton died because of his arrogance. He could save your parents but he chose not to, because of him you are an orphan, a prince without kingdom. You know why you heard those voices? Because he bestowed you with most of his powers, and those were the voices of supplicant kryptonians whom called for him at their late hour, but he refused to listen to their prayers. Tell me Kal, is that a merciful god?"

Kal was bewildered, for the first time since he met Rao, Kal looked at him with ambivalence.

"Quiet!", screamed Rao as he hit Darkseid with his own heat vision rays on the chest. Darkseid took a step back because of the powerful ray, but then the dark god smiled, while subtracting something from his belt, he pushed a bottom and a portal opened in the middle of the air. Kal knew immediately something was wrong, and send one of his beams of thermal rays but it was too late, Darkseid had jump inside the portal, and vanished in the air.

"Why Kal, why did you help him?," Rao rebuked him.

"I could feel his pain and I took pity on him. I thought I was amending a wrong, and I still think I did... the phantom zone is such a cruel place... Is it true what Darkseid said?"

"You do not trust me," said Rao more as an accusation than as a statement.

"I trust you, but you keep hiding many things from me and all I kept hearing from you are vague responses or silence".

"Why should a god prove himself with his subjects," said Rao deeply offended.

"Because a god does not exist without them," mentioned Kal with sadness, and left, he flown directly to the sky deeply disappointed, and drifted away for hours, eventually Rao called him.

"Kal, we need to talk."

"There is no need."

"Perhaps, but I still want to," Rao said imperatively but he spoke with softness, looking directly to Kal into the eyes. "Indeed I choose to remain silent when I should have told you many things. Yes, over the centuries the kryptonians disappointed me and I though it was better to start over again; in the end, when tragedy stroke I decided against it and tried to help, but it was too late, most of them perish."

"So it is true, you decided to let the Krypton die?"

"I did not kill my people," said Rao almost with fury, but his voice remained stern while he kept looking at Kal "You have to understand Darkseid is evil, and dangerous. He will twist the truth and manipulate you in ways you cannot even imagine. He is a god, and remember: even with your powers and lineage you are not one."

"I do not want to be a god," replied Kal with stern.

"Good. Now pack your things, is time for you to get back with your parents, and to Smallvile."

"That's it? I'm dismiss?, " asked Kal with bitterness. Rao always puzzled him, often he appeared warm and even loving, while other times he was indifferent and gave Kal harsh responses. He could not believe that after all the training, sacrifices and long hours, he was discard and tossed away, but he was not going to ask for forgiveness for something he thought was right.

"When I choose a heir I wanted a person who will embody the true spirit of Krypton," said Rao, and he gave Kal a look so penetrating that Clark felt like he could read his soul. "I believe you are more than that, you have all the potential to transcend and bring peace, prosperity and hope to Krypton, but you will do none of that if you stay here. Now that Darkseid knows of your existence and he will not rest until he gets you by his side to use you as his pawn. Get ready Kal-El, dark times will come."

* * *

Inside the Palace of the Olympus, was the Council Hall where Zeus sat restless on his enormous throne of polished black Egyptian marble, decorated in gold. The mighty god of the Olympians was frustrate, no matter how many oracles he consulted; the prophecy remained the same, a dark god will come to destroy the Olympus, and only three champions will have a slim change against him. Zeus waited for the champions to reveal themselves, however, as the years went by and there where no sign of any of them, he obsessed about the prophecy; he believed Rao had been deceive, and the dark god was someone else, someone more cunning than Darkside and with an ulterior motive: Hades. Zeus sent spies to the realm of the god of the underworld, waiting for an indication that confirm his suspicious, but nothing came out as such, dissatisfied, he urged Apollo everyday to predict when the dark god would come and how the champions would look like.

"Any news?," asked Zeus impatiently, as lately the courtesies were lost on him, he wanted answers even if it meant to put his own son under pressure.

"No," replied Apollo visibly tired.

"Are you losing your powers Apollo?," asked Zeus his voice laced with disdain.

"No, is just that the future is always in motion. My visions change each time but…" Apollo went silent, and he blinked, Zeus knew his son, he only blink when there was something in his visions he did not like.

"Your visions are dark. Did you see our dead?," asked Zeus deadpan.

"Is a possibility, " replied Apollo without conviction.

"Did you see the champions?"

"I saw a glimpse of them, but mostly just shadows. The only thing I could see among the darkness was a shiny symbol, a letter, a W."

"What does that mean?"

"I do not know, I cannot figure it out. It is just something that kept appearing, in all my visions, is the only constant, a silver W, that shines in the dark."

"Leave and call Ares," said Zeus with frustration. Apollo left quickly before the anger his father was trying to hide, exploded. Zeus crossed his arms and waited for the god of war, after a while he appeared in front of him in all his glory. The latest war among the mortals had granted him more power and he looked younger, his skin and armour were glowing, and he had an aura of self-entailment around him. Zeus looked at him and smirked, he did not want any of his sons to become too proud or powerful, because maybe they may get the idea of overruled him.

"You are late," said Zeus scolding.

"Sorry father, the remains of the war among the mortals had kept me busy, but here I am, what can I do for you?"

Zeus looked at Ares with severity; he disliked the cheeky tone of his son.

"You seemed so proud about that war" said Zeus with contempt, and immediately Ares's eyes glow with irritation, "While is just another insignificant fight for power among mortal kingdoms that no one will remember in a couple of years."

"It was not a petty fight, it was a world-wide war that lasted three years and involved all the nations on earth and hundreds of thousands mortal men died."

"Mortal men die all the time, and not all the nations took part in your war, Themyscira did not and neither Oa."

"That is because Hippolyta is a coward, she retreated and as for Oa, there are not neutral, they keep fighting with my allies in a guerrilla war using their army of green lanterns, but I will destroyed them and…"

"I do not care what you do about them. We have more important things to deal with now," interjected Zeus. Ares closed his hands into fist trying to control the boiling frustration and anger he felt.

"What is it?," Ares asked with annoyance.

"The dark god is coming."

"How do you know that?; did my brother see him?"

"Your brother is useless; but Rao left Darkseid escaped, and he insists Darkseid will come back seeking revenge against earth, and that he is the dark god the prophecy mentioned."

"So let's go and kill him before he get to us", said Ares while walking away, but then he saw by the corner of his eyes how his father did not move, so he held still and turned around to faced Zeus "You don't believe he is the dark god."

"No, I don't. He was capture by Rao and spend many years in the phantom zone, by now he should be a weak shell of his former self, I cannot conceive how he could defeat all of us, if he was so easily defeated by Rao."

"Rao spend many years recovering from his fight with him, even now, he is not in the best shape."

"Rao is not an Olympian, he could not stand a fight like us. Darkseid and him had a long story and he choose to believe he was the dark god, a convenient truth for him to settle an old grudge. But I believe the dark god, is someone else, someone more clever that has hidden, waiting for the right moment to attack us."

"Who?"

"Hades"

"Do you have any prove?"

"Not yet. But it does not matter, we need to be ready for when he decides to attack us, as he did before."

"How?, Do you want me to charge against the underworld? Is not that easy and you know that."

"We will defeat him with the champions."

"The champions?!," Ares rolled his eyes and could not repress a snort "We do not even know how they look like."

"Exactly, all I have done these years is waiting for them to revealed themselves. I am tired of waiting. I will make them come forward, and you will help me."

"How?"

"You will organize a championship, a contest for all the greatest warriors on earth, only the best three will survive, and those will be our champions."

"I like the idea. What will be the prize? "

"I will grant the winners their ultimate heart's desire."

Ares arched a brown "That is tricky, what if one of them wanted to conquer the world, or kill us all?"

"I can grant a desire under my own terms. Don't worry about that, just do as I told you."

"Yes, father," replied Ares and started to leave the council hall.

"And Ares…."

"Yes?"

"Make sure Diana of Themyscira takes part in the contest."

* * *

It was a rare moment for Diana, she usually was surround by a lot of people, tutors, guards, maidens, ever since the Ares' incident she was heavily guarded, even in the nights there were guards outside her door. But now she was alone at the beach and she loved her brief moment of solitude. She sat on her favourite rock, from where she could watch how the waves gently covered the shore, and how the sun got down in a beautiful sunset, while painting the sky with different tones of red, orange and purple. For a moment, she felt happy without a worry in the world. Carefully, she took out from within her tunic, something that she wrapped and hid carefully: a silver pendant with in the shape of a W. She contemplated it, and let her mind recall the moments she lived so long ago, but then, the sound of a horse approaching interrupted her thoughts and in a hurry, she hid the pendant again within her clothes. Soon the slender figure of Artemis appeared in front of her.

"Princess, I just wanted to come and congratulate you, it was a fair fight and you are a rightful victor."

"Thank you Artemis, today the gods smiled at me. It was a great honour to fight you, I feel privilege to be your contender."

"Do not be modest child, you are good, and today you were a better than me. Let's share a drink, we will have a toast in your honour."

Diana smiled and got up, but soon the hidden pendant slipped from within her tunic and felt right between the rocks. Her heart stopped as she saw helplessly how the silver pendant was falling down the rocks, making a tiny cling each time, and then, just before it hit the ocean, the pendant got caught by a sharp rock. It was about to be washed away by the sea when in a swift movement she managed to retrieve it barely holding it from the chain, once she had it again, she sighed with relieve. Artemis did not say a word, she simply observed her. Diana knew in that moment, she may have to answer an array of uncomfortable questions, but what follow next was only silence. Eventually Artemis broke it, delivering the questions Diana feared.

"Why you keep that thing with you?"

"It is a memory of a promise. A token from a dear friend."

"What made him so special? You had plenty of friends here at Themyscira."

"You are my sisters, I love you all and I gladly give my life for you, but Bruce is different. He was the first person of my age I have seen in my whole life; at first when we met, I was terrify, I thought he was a demon! I fought against him with everything I got, and I was ready to blow the death stroke, when I saw he was as scared as I, then I realised I did not want to be a mindless warrior whom strike at innocents without a reason, so I let him go. However, he decided to follow me around, and kept asking me questions in a way nobody ever did, it was annoying. "

"So far he does not seem like a good friend to me."

"Bruce is far from perfect, he is stubborn, arrogant and proud, he really can get out on your nerves, but even with all that, he was sincere and true to me. After our first fight, he treated me with respect and as his equal, he listened to my stories with genuine interest and taught me things because he wanted to share his wonder with me. For him I was simply Diana, not a princess, not a pupil, I was his peer, his friend and I liked it. The last time I saw him he was wounded, because he tried to protect me from Ares; and when his parents died, I wished I was there with him, because I know how much he suffered. Now here I am, powerless to help him even though I know he is still in pain."

" How could you possibly know that?"

"Because I can feel his pain."

Without them knowing Thebe overheard their conversation and decided to contact Ares, whom she rarely saw lately. Thebe knew she was loosing him, and saw the information as an opportunity to talk to him again, however, many days passed before she could met him at their usual hideout.

"My love," Thebe called Ares in a sweet voice; she was dress seductively but he did not even look at her.

"What do you want Thebe?," he replied at her coldly.

"Do I need a reason to see you?"

"I'm busy."

"Yes, I noticed, we have not see each other in almost a year."

"I cannot come and go from Themyscira as I used to."

"I understand, but if I live outside Themyscira, and we could see each other more often."

"No, your place is in that island, is where you belong, is where I need you to be as a reliable ally to keep an eye on the queen and her daughter."

" I have news then, Diana is improving as a warrior, and she is connected to the mortal boy."

"What do you mean they are connected?"

"She can feel how he feels, when he feels it."

"Interesting…"

"You have that look in your eyes, what are you planning?"

"Father is getting restless, years had passed and my stupid brother has been unable to find the champions he needs to destroy a potential treat looming over all of us, my father's paranoia is coming up to a point where he thinks Hades is the one who will try to overruled him. So he is planning a safe against him."

"And how does Diana enter in that plan?"

"Hades loves Diana. However, nowadays is almost impossible to spirited her away from Themyscira, but if she leaves by her own devices, we could hold her ransom and make sure Hades does not try something against us. That is why I need you, to make sure it happens."

"How?"

"I'm organizing a tournament, all the mightiest warriors on earth will participate; but only the best three will win. As usual, I will invite Themyscira to take part on it. If I recall correctly, according to the rules, the Amazons will have a tournament of their own to decide who will be their champion. I need Diana to enter in that tournament, and win."

"That is easy, the girl is already the best warrior among us. However, I doubt her mother will allow her to take part on it."

"I'm sure you will find a way."

 

 


	15. The long way back home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce founds an unsual teacher, while his past comes back to haunt him. Clark meets a girl.

The road from the hills of the clouded mountains to Gotham was torturous. Bruce spent long hours jammed in the back of some sort of wagon, like an old sack of potatoes. He hated that, but he tried hard to concentrate as his sensei taught him, to learn more about his surroundings, and he concluded that they were travelling out of the beaten path and that they were a small company, perhaps of just few men. Eventually the wagon came to a stop and he heard the sound of heavy footsteps, afterwards he felt a par of strong and rough hands, which picked him up effortlessly and took him down of the wagon. Once in the ground and stood very still, until somebody pushed him. It was then when his training and reflexes kicked in even though he was blindfolded and hand tided, not only did he not felt flat on his back; instead he managed to put himself in a defensive stage with a quick and gracious move.

Kilowog, who had been the one who had carried him away from the wagon observed that with disconcert and his curiosity piqued. He took a couple of pebbles from the ground and started to throw them at Bruce, who managed to dodge all of them, which surprised Kilowog even more.

"Are you done with your games?," asked Bruce at the end upset.

"You had good reflexes boy. I guess there is more to you that meet the eye," said Kilowog and pick Bruce up again and drop him at what he could feel was near a bonfire, Bruce sat as best he could and then the creature handled him a bowl "Here eat this, is soup."

Bruce was starving, so It took all his will power not to ravish it immediately, instead he sniff it since the bowl did not smell bad or good, he decided to taste it. But the minute his tongue touch the liquid he knew regret it, not only it was extremely spice, but it was also so bitter that for a moment Bruce thought he had been poisoned, then he spat the rest of the liquid he still had in his mount.

"No, is not poison," he heard in that moment, it was the voice of the tall dark man he meet before, and who eventually took him into this camp. He fell a couple of hands taking his blindfold, and he blinked hard, it took various minutes to focus correctly.

"Although I admit it tastes like one. However, it will keep you nurtured and healthy, something we really need. We do not have time to take care of the sick," said John.

"Not, specially if you are travelling in circles," replied Bruce.

"A diversion. Good to know you noticed," pointed John, "Now eat, after a while it will not taste that bad, trust me."

"How long are you planning to keep me blindfolded?," asked Bruce.

"As long as we are in a dangerous territory," replied seriously John.

"There is not safe territory in miles around. When are you going to arrive to Gotham?"

John looked at Bruce surprised by his response, and then exchanged a significant look with Kilowog, so far only the three of them were near the bonfire, but although it was complete dark around them, Bruce could tell the other members of their camp must be around.

"What makes you think we are going there?," asked him Kilowog.

"I heard you," responded Bruce, "Take me to Gotham," asked Bruce not as a favour but more as a command.

"We do not take orders from you boy," said Kilowog.

"You do not understand, I need to go to there."

"No, you are the one who does not understand. Gotham is a dangerous place, full of crime, corruption and poverty, with a regimen of terror lead by the seneschal and his secret squad," replied John.

"I will survive easily"

"You are a very arrogant boy, rather you will get yourself kill there in a heartbeat," mentioned Kilowog.

"No, I won't, you want a bet?," said Bruce defiant.

Kilowog eyes sparkle with mischievous.

"You think you are tough. I' ll tell what, I will put you trough series of tests, if you endure and excel all them, I will take you to Gotham," replied gravely Kilowog.

"Is that a promise?," asked doubtful Bruce.

"I give you my word. Now go back to the wagon and rest, tomorrow is going to be a hard day," replied Kilowog.

Bruce left and returned to the wagon, while John and Kilowog stay near the bonfire, it was then when John reproached Kilowog.

"What was that?, we are in the middle of returning to Oa after months of missions, and you want to play games with that boy."

"I mean what I said. I will test and train him."

"Why?"

"He has potential."

* * *

 

Weeks passed and between the long hours of the journey and hiding from the seneschal's guards, what started as a game end up in a serious training, and to John's astonishment Bruce surpassed every one of the tests Kilowog put him through, even the most difficult ones. Kilowog taught Bruce different fighting techniques, escapology and the secrets of mechanics. Kilowog's mechanical aptitude was of a genius level, and Bruce was amazed about the complex creations he managed to do. Kilowog training approach was pragmatic, often emphasizing the results more than the form, however, although it lacked the mystique of sensei Matshuda, he was equally brutal and demanding. Escapology was something Kilowog valued as a key part of the training and he often used some ropes or locks to immobilize Bruce. His final test though, involved two clever devices Kilowog constructed.

"For your final test poozer, I designed not one but two machines. If you surpass the test I will take you to Gotham; if not we will take you to Oa, just be careful these are deadly machines, once they are in motion they cannot be stop."

Kilowog hanged Bruce upside down from the ankles; he was suspended in the air from a tall tree, completely restrained by one of the devices Kilowog designed, a deadly combination of nets, locks and ropes "that branch will not hold for long, you will need to get out fast before it cracks and you fall. Good luck," said Kilowog, and he was about to leave when he noticed how a silver thing was slipping from within Bruce's ropes.

"What is this?," said Kilowog, while he caught the shiny thing with the hand before it fall to the ground. Bruce remain silent, bit his eyes immediately widen. Kilowog noticed it.

"I know this coat of arms. Is not yours, I knew all the people from this house they all died in a terrible war, decades ago," said Kilowog as he studied the object "You took great care of this; is clean and smooth," he said waiting for a reaction from Bruce but his face remain inscrutable, so he decided to go even further "I will keep it since you may not survive, " Kilowog said while he put the small coat of arms inside one of his pockets, he started to walk away from Bruce when his sensitive hearing caught a soft sound behind his back, he turned and saw his device completely undone, and no sign of Bruce.

"Impressive," whispered Kilowog almost gaping.

"Give it back to me."

Kilowog turned and found Bruce's fierce steel-blue eyes looking at him.

"Is good to know where is your focus. I will give it back, once you had pass my following test"

Kilowog's last test involved restrained Bruce with handcuffs, chains, padlocks and stocks while he was submerged inside a transparent tank full of water.

"If you manage to escape, I will give this back to you and we will go to Gotham. This test does not have any time goal, but as you know the longer you stay under water, the less oxygen you will have," he said while the throw Bruce inside the tank.

This time Kilowog paced nervously around the tank, while watching as Bruce twist and turn inside it. As time went by and Bruce did not come out, he became visibly anxious. In order to encourage Bruce to hurry, he decided to turn his attention to the small object he had inside his pocket, the coat of arms Bruce seem so attached to. Kilowog took it out, in a way Bruce could see it, and started to speak louder.

"What is with you and this object anyway?," he said while the coat of arms captured a small ray of light, shinning, "This is not something expensive, it is made from a common metal, so it must have a sentimental value to you… somebody you care gave you this… your mother, your father, a brother?," he kept his monologue looking how Bruce twist every time slower " No, this is not from your family, it does not look nothing like that sword you value so much too…No, this is a gift from somebody else… a friend or…. a girlfriend!," the realization came down to Kilowog, and then he turned and looked at Bruce who was turning blue by the effort, and did not move. Worried Kilowog started to scream at the top of his lungs.

"Don't you dare to give up on me poozer, you have to get out if this!," said Kilowog and then he hold up the coat of arms "What will your girlfriend think of you if she look at you now, eh?, Wake up Bruce, wake up and fight!."

Bruce's eyes opened and then he got out of his restrains and surfaced, gasping for air.

Kilowog screams attracted the rest of the run away party, and outside of the tank were John, along with Jim Gordon and his daughter Barbara, who were watching mesmerized as Bruce went out of the tank. As John helped him to get out, he gave Kilowog a look full of reproach.

"Are you crazy?, you nearly killed him!," said John while he help Bruce to sit in a nearby rock "Are you all right?," he asked to Bruce with concern.

"Peachy," said Bruce almost breathlessly.

Kilowog, started to laugh in a nervous throaty laugh that sounded more like a wounded animal, "This boy is stronger than you think John, he could be a great green lantern", and then he pad Bruce on the back.

"Give it me," said Bruce and extended his right hand.

"Sure, here you are," replied Kilowog and handled the small coat of arms to Bruce. Who hold close his hand around it and holding it tightly.

"Come let's get you some dry clothes," said John helping Bruce to get up.

"Bruce you have the best quality a warrior: You never give up, you never take defeat. Tomorrow, we are going to Gotham," said Kilowog leaving the scene.

* * *

 

That morning must had been one of the worst days in Jim Gordon's life, the small party reached a crossroad, one path lead to Gotham and the other to Oa. He watched how his small daughter leave to Oa with John and Shayera, who waited for them at the cross-road, while he went the other way. He hated to leave his little daughter and sent her alone to an unknown place, but on the other hand, the perspective to have her threaten by the ruthless men of the seneschal, and imagine the horrific things they may do to her, made his decision easier.

In Oa, the Green lanterns and the guardians will keep her safe. He knew John and his feisty girlfriend Shayera will guard Barbara fiercely, and together they offer more protection to her than him. So lost was Jim Gordon on those thoughts, that at first he did not notice the person who was lurking among the trees in the woods. His warrior instinct made him grabbed his sword, and he got ready for an attack, when the frame of the man came out of the shadows, and what he saw made him speechless; because for a moment he thought he was watching the ghost of his lately departed king, Thomas Wayne.

Jim blinked furiously, and then realised it was not his long dead king, but somebody else who looked very much like him. It was the young man he watched escape dramatically from the water tank a few days before; then he thought he looked familiar, but now he realised the young man was the living image of Thomas Wayne, except for the colour of his eyes, a deep steel-blue, the same shade of blue the Queen had.

"Good afternoon," Jim said.

Bruce merely nodded, and without further comment started to wash his face with the water of the creek, Jim could not leave his eyes from him, but Bruce just ignored him, he got up and was going to turn away when Jim blocked him, which made Bruce held a defensive stage. So Jim felt like he had to justify his actions.

"Apologies for staring, is just that you remind me at someone."

Bruce shrugged, and left his defensive stage and kept on walking but Jim was behind him, until he reach him and asked:

"Are you not going to ask me who?"

"Who what?," replied annoyed Bruce.

"Who do you resemble."

"It is not of my concern," said Bruce and was about to leave again, when Jim interject him almost blocking him.

"Fair enough. I will tell you anyway, you look just like…"

"I don't care."

"I'm not you enemy Bruce," said Jim, while Bruce turned around looking dangerously at him "Yes, I know who you are. Although, the last time we met, you were just a kid. I guess you don't remember when we use to go hunting with your dad."

"The last thing about my dad I remembered is he bleeding to dead in a dark hall, because none of his guards were around him to protect him. Where were you then Jim, hunting?"

Jim Gordon was surprised by Bruce's bitterness, how different he was from the sweet boy who adored climbing.

" I left Gotham under your father instructions weeks before he died, in a mission to stop a dangerous terrorist group in our east border."

"How convenient," said Bruce with sarcasm.

"You may not believe me but it is true, you can check the records if you want, my troops were under attack for months, I was taken prisoner for a year, until one of our squads found me and liberated me. When I returned to Gotham I found out your father and mother had been assassinate, and you were away, in the east. The war had already unfolded and I dedicated myself to defend Gotham, as I have done since I was fifteen and I was the sparring partner of your father."

"The green lanterns referred to you as commissioner. Is that your new position, instead of head of the royal guards?," Bruce asked unimpressed.

"Yes, the seneschal does not want me as his royal guard, but he doesn't want me out of his sight either, so he appointed me as commissioner, in his mind it was a punishment. Gotham is now a dark place. The royal guards are now a squad of terror, because of the war, people are poor and corruption and crime thrive. The seneschal allows it because the poorer the easiest to subject. I have tried to fight against his terror regimen from inside, but is more dangerous than I anticipated. His men kidnapped my daughter and I went after them and they captured me too, fortunately we could escape with the help of the green lanterns."

"Are you planning to take the seneschal to justice?"

"I do not have any prove of his involvement in the kidnap."

"So why are you going back to Gotham?"

"Gotham is my home. I have to return there, because if the seneschal wins, the future of our people will be crime, and corruption," said Jim gravely.

* * *

 

Days passed, and eventually the trio arrived to Gotham. They arrived in the afternoon, but Kilowog and Jim warned Bruce about entering the city during daylight, they decided to wait until nightfall. Bruce was really anxious, and when they approach the city wall he hurried up and tried to reach his old secret passage, but Jim stopped him.

"Bruce don't," said Jim and hold Bruce by the arm with an iron grip. Bruce was surprised.

"Jim, this is my secret pass away, I used this path many times."

"In the past, but it may not be safe anymore, please come this way, is better," reluctantly Bruce followed Jim lead, but his hand was all the time close to his sword, ready to unfold.

They reach a part of the wall, and Jim knocked three times, in a certain place and the wall opened, Jim entered first, followed by Bruce, but Kilowog stopped, Bruce turned at him surprised.

"You are not going to come?"

"No, if the seneschal's men see me here they will imprison me. Besides, my place is in Oa, with the green lanterns. I guess this is goodbye," said Kilowog and without further warning he pull Bruce for a big hug "You are a great warrior Bruce, you could be a great green lantern. If you ever need us, you just have to wear this ring and we will be there for you. Good luck boy."

"Thanks Kilowog," said Bruce with sadness.

Jim conducted Bruce for a series of dark halls, until they eventually reach a large door, carefully Jim opened it, looking both ways, then he got out, Bruce quickly followed him, only to find they were surround by at least seven man with their swords drawn and pointing at them. One of them, took a step forward and swung his sword near Bruce's head, Bruce smirked and quickly crossed swords with the man, who seem just a bit older than him.

His opponent was good, he crouched and ducked at every swing of Bruce's sword around him, but when both of their blades locked, Bruce swung them both around, bringing down the man's sword, then he put the tip of his sword near his opponent's neck.

"Yield," demanded Bruce.

"Master Bruce, Cannot you see the poor fellow is on the verge of fading? He already yield."

"Alfred?," replied Bruce surprised as he turned around only to found his maestre a few steps behind him, Alfred always could sneak upon him.

"I'm glad you have not forgotten about me, Master Bruce. Now gentleman if you are so kind to put your swords away, we can all talk in a civilised manner," said Alfred to the armed men, they all quickly comply, although, they looked terrified as if they had seen a ghost.

"Thank you," said Alfred "Now Master Bruce, if you be so kind to follow me, there is someone who would like to speak with you."

"What about Jim?," asked Bruce tuning to the commissioner.

"I will be fine Bruce, go ahead," responded Jim Gordon.

Bruce nodded and followed Alfred, he noted how the men were staring at him, with a mix of awe, reverence and fear, all of them stepped away from him.

Alfred conducted Bruce through another series of halls, until they reach a cozy chamber, lighted by a large chimney.

"Somebody is waiting for you, master Bruce."

"Who is it?"

"A friend," replied a voice inside the chamber.

"Lucius!," said Bruce surprised.

"Is good to see you. My good, you really had grown! Now you are taller than me," said Lucius with a warm smile, that soon turned into sadness "Is staggering how much you look after your father," he whisper.

"Jim thinks the same," replied Bruce.

"So will anyone who looks at you," said Alfred, and he and Lucius exchanged a compliance look.

"Was that the reason the guards looked at me that way, the thought they were looking at my father's ghost?"

"They thought they were seeing a ghost yes, but not your father's. They thought they were seeing your ghost master Bruce, for most Gothamities you are dead."

* * *

 

Clark returned along with Jonathan and Martha Kent at Smallvile, but his heart almost sunk, after seeing the Kent's farm destroyed because of the war, the couple were devastated, but Clark used his god-given speed and strength to rebuilt quickly a small house were they all could pass the night. Clark was determined to recover the old state of the Kent's farm, so he passed the next days in a state of frenzy, building different constructions and sowing different seeds around the farm.

It was in one of his morning excursions to gather wood when he heard someone's frustrated scream, without thinking Clark decided to check the source of the usual sound; he arrived at the river nearby to see how a girl was trying to get out his frighten horse out of the river. The recent stormy rains had turned the usually pleasant river, into a more turbulent and savage flown.

"Come on Azul, get out! I do not have all day, we are already late, and father is going to kill me", the girl tried to pull out the horse, but then she tripped and fell, hitting her head with a rock. She faded and drifted away by the river's flow.

Clark watched the scene, and without thinking he flew and dived to pick up the girl from the river, before she could get drown. He carried her in his arms and took her into a safe a part of the river's bank, afterwards he moved quickly and he took out her horse from the river and put him in the same secure area. Concerned about the girl's well-being, he tried to see if the girl wake up, carefully he took away the strains of black hair that covered her faced, only to be mesmerized by the her beauty. Then the girl opened her eyes, and Clark saw the strangest shade he had ever seen, her eyes were not blue or brown, but violet, when she looked back at him was as if the world went silent. He could not help but to smile at her, but then a hard slap took him out of his trance.

"How you dare to touch me!," shout the girl infuriated.

"I…", started to explain Clark but the girl interjected him.

"You what?, Tried to take advantage of me?, I warn you, I will scream at the top of my longs and my father and his guards will come to rescue me."

"I did not...," tried again to explain Clark.

"You did not …what?," replied with impatience the girl of violet eyes.

"I rescued you, I though you were drowning," said Clark with relief as he managed to said more than one word to the girl.

"Oh!," she said and embarrassed, she tried to composed herself "Thanks, I guess."

Clark, could not help but to smile, the girl was not only beautiful but fierce. Then Clark heard that guards the girl mentioned were approaching, and he decided it will be better to leave.

"Since you are all right, I leave you now."

"Wait, how are you going to cross the river?," said the girl arching a brow.

"I have my methods," he said and started to fly, much to the girl's astonishment, and then he despaired.

The girl was still in awe by this mysterious rescuer, when the guards Clark heard reach her, the head of the guards quickly dismounted his horse, and went to the girl.

"My lady, are you all right?," he asked visibly worry.

"Yes, Sir Lancaster, I'm fine."

"Oh your father is going to be so upset when he sees you my lady! He is going to be mad at me," said Sir Lancaster.

"My father gets angry easily, sir Lancaster."

"But now he will have a good reason... My lady can you ride?"

"Yes, Azul is a bit shaken but I think he can take me home, right boy?" she said addressing the horse, and caressing him.

"My lady you have a nasty cut on you head!"

"Do I,"? she asked and took her hand to her head, feeling an ache "Yes I fell into the river."

"When?"

"Moments ago."

"And how did you managed to get out, the flow is wild!"

"Somebody rescue me."

"Where is this person to thank him for rescuing our lady."

"He fly away".

"You mean he left in haste?"

"No, he fly, like the birds."

"Okay, I think we better get going, and when we arrive to the castle we must take you to maester Bristol"

"I'm fine,"

"We'll see my lady, we'll see."

They rode in silent back to the castle but the girl could not help of wondering if she had imagined everything. Once they reach the castle, as Sir Lancaster predicted her father was there to received them visible upset.

"Lois Lane, what were you thinking!," he said gravely ,"This is not the way a lady behaves."

"You would not know that dad, you are not a lady," said Lois and immediately regret it as her father looked back at her gravely.

"Maester Bristol, please take Lois inside and dress her wounds. Lois, we will speak later."

 


	16. Invincible armour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Bruce and Diana receive presents that can be deceiving

**Invincible armour**

Ares appeared at Themyscira much to Hippolyta's astonishment; he was at her private chambers, waiting for her as the way he used to when they returned from the Olympus, and he was a young god, full of love and promises. Now, although he looked as young and handsome as then, his eyes sparkled with cruelty and anger.

"What are you doing here? You are ban from Themyscira," Hippolyta asked and her hand went to the hilt of her sword.

Ares saw that and smiled maliciously, then swift as the wind, he was in front of her, his hand covering hers strongly, hurting her, stopping Hippolyta from moving, his eyes beaming like red flames in the darkness.

"Do it! Give me a reason to kill you," he hissed softly, his eyes never leaving hers.

She looked at him defiant and calmly replied, "You never needed a reason to kill."

He regarded at her with a look that was hard to decipher and after a long moment, he let her go.

He started to casually walk around the chamber and said:

"I'm not banned anymore. Here," he said and handled Hippolyta a document; she took it from him hesitant. Ares' eyes on the other hand, never stopped looking at her with a dark and profound stare.

"Why did not Lord Zeus send Hermes to deliver this?" she asked suspicious.

Ares did not answer; he turned his back at her and sat waiting for her to read the manuscript. For decades, Ares avoided Hippolyta, even when he visited Thebe, he just glanced at her from afar. It was only now, when he felt he had the upper hand, when he felt strong enough to face her. He would never admitted it, but she still had a hold on to his heart. That was the reason he fought against her so hard, and that was the same reason he loved his son so much, he had her eyes, the difference was that every time Hippolytus looked at him, he regarded him with love and awe, the way Ares would like Hippolyta looked at him.

Hippolyta read the paper, and although she tried to be composed, Ares knew she was shocked, and it pleased him. Hippolyta was silent and Ares got impatient.

"I will do as our lord Zeus commands, I will need at least a month to organize a proper tournament worthy of the Olympus, I'm sure my sisters…."

"No,” Ares interjected, “The tournament will be done today. I want the name of the Amazon's champion to be deliver to me by nightfall, if you fail in doing so," said Ares while looking straight into Hippolyta's eyes, "I will pick her myself," he concluded with a cruel smile.

She looked at him with disdain, "You will have your champion by the evening, now get out of my chambers."

He said nothing and simply vanished.

Hippolyta stood there and for a moment she froze, but then she composed herself and called her General.

"Philippus! I need you to pick the best among our soldiers, I will hold a contest to choose a champion for the Amazons, I need to have it today."

"My queen, there is not enough time."

"I know, but is our gods command."

"It will be done then," said Philippus and after a short bow, she was about to leave when the queen called her back.

"Philippus…please tell them that although this is a great honour, is possible that our champion may not return alive from this quest."

"My Queen, a dead with honour is all we seek. Our champion will surely find her way into the Elysium Fields."

"Yes, she will," said Hippolyta with a sad smile, she felt as if she was condemning to dead one of her sisters.

"The contest will start in one hour then, my Queen," said Philippus and left.

Thebe was pleased when she heard about the contest and went in a hurry to find Diana, she knew Philippus would not choose her; the general loved the girl as if she were her own, and was fiercely protective of her. Thebe also knew, Diana was very competitive and her pride would be wounded, because Philippus had not chosen her. As she predicted Diana was on the beach, looking nostalgic at the sea.

"What is wrong Diana?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?, Really?"

"I was not selected to take part of the contest today, apparently I'm not good enough," she said with frustration.

"Nobody thinks that way."

"Philippus does, she did not even looked at me, even when I volunteered, she simply said 'No', and turned away without even given me a second glance. I know I'm good, if only I could prove that to them."

"Princess, if you really want something you must fight for it and not take defeat easily. Tell me, do you really want this?"

"Yes."

"Then I will help you."

"How?"

"I have my methods."

Thebe gave Diana a helmet that covered most of her face, and when the selected soldiers went into the arena for the three definitive tests, Thebe helped Diana to get into the arena. Thebe smiled smugly when she returned to the Queen's side, watching from the royal gallery, how Diana passed each one of the tests. At the end, it was a draw between her and Artemis, so Philippus decided to have a last combat, which Diana won.

The new Amazon's champion intrigued Hippolyta, her skills were amazing and the Queen felt confident about her chances to return alive and victorious from Ares' tournament. Feeling better, Hippolyta demanded the winner to remove her helmet in order to honour her, as she deserved.

"Diana," said the Queen almost fainting when she saw the Amazon warrior without her helmet, and she collapsed on her throne. She did not want to have her only daughter in that deadly arena, all she ever wanted was to protect her child, and now she was sending her to a lethal quest. Hippolyta was devastated.

* * *

 

**Hephaestus**

Hades did not take the news well, he knew Ares' tournament was a dangerous contest, designed to kill the participants; but he knew Diana, she would rather die than retreat from something she consider her duty. Therefore, with a heavy burden on his heart, he went to see Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the Olympians, to ask for help.

"Hephaestus, I want to commission something from you."

"I'm busy Hades, according to father war is coming and he needs many weapons, I do not have time to built any others, specially for you."

"This is not for me, is for Diana."

"Diana?"

"Hephaestus, my daughter is the Amazon's champion for the stupid tournament Ares is organizing."

Hephaestus stop working, and his eyes glow with a strange light; he and his brother Ares had a very difficult relation. Hephaestus suspected his wife was having an affair with the god of war.

"What do you want?"

"I want an armour for Diana, an armour so powerful she can withstand any attack."

"She is immortal."

"But not invulnerable, specially not when she will be fighting against gods."

"I will do it, but not as favour to you, but as my gift to her. I had seen your daughter and she is not only beautiful, but also has a noble and kind soul, in that she does not resemble you."

Hades face distorted and for a moment he looked like a demon, before he said, "I know."

"Come back in a few days, I will have it ready."

Days passed and Hades grew anxious, finally he decided to pay a visit to Hephaestus' workshop.

"You arrived earlier. I knew you would not wait."

"Where is it?"

"In there, I finished it long time ago."

"What! How dare you put my daughter in danger!" replied Hades, grabbing Hephaestus by the collar, but the god of the volcanoes simply smiled, and started to laugh with a throaty sound.

"No. You are the one who endangers her all the time; your ambition and recklessness had made Diana the perfect target. Ares hates her because she represents the promised child he will never have with Hippolyta, the love he believes you stole from him. Zeus sees her as a threat because she is your daughter, and knows she loves you and might avenge you if he kills you. Moreover, they are only two of the many enemies you had accumulated over the centuries. No, Diana’s biggest menace is you…no wonder Hippolyta decided to run away from your side and hide the girl in Themyscira."

Hades hit the blacksmith hard, and tossed him through the air.

Hephaestus landed on his back, unscarred, he shook his head and said, "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Hades didn't answer, he was really furious and started to charge back at Hephaestus but the god stood up and said, "Stop! I do not have time to engage in a fight with you. Come, I will show you Diana's armour."

Hades followed Hephaestus still beaming with anger, but soon his rage subsisted when he contemplated the work of Hephaestus: a magnificent golden armour, bright and shiny, complete with a beautiful helmet, crowned by crimson feathers.

"You are truly talented, this is wonderful."

"Thanks, I'm very pleased with this armour."

" Diana will love it, I will let her know you did this specially for her."

"Actually, I will like to present it to her personally."

"Why?, you rarely leave the Olympus."

" I would like to met your daughter," said Hephaestus and he noticed immediately how Hades stiff, It was obvious he disliked the idea.

"Do not be afraid, I mean no harm. I want to met her, and see by myself if the legends are true."

"The legends?"

"Of her beauty and courage."

Hades went to Themyscira to farewell his daughter, with Hephaestus by his side. The god of craftsmen was silent as he watched with incredulity how Hades transformed from the fearsome dark god of the underworld into a loving and concerned father. Then he called for him.

"Diana, this is Hephaestus; he brought you a gift."

"Lord Hephaestus, is an honour to meet you," said Diana with a bow.

"The honour is mine, princess, you are a rightful champion."

"Thanks," said Diana blushing.

"This may help you succeed in the tournament," said Hephaestus while he presented Diana with the golden armour, so perfect it was almost blinding to behold.

"Oh, it’s so beautiful!"

"This will fit you flawlessly. You will find it comfortable and you will move easily on it. It will keep you warm when the weather is cold and cool when is hot. As long as you wear it, it will protect you from any harm on this earth; blades will not pierce you, fire will not burn you. Use it wisely."

"I cannot thank you enough for such a lovely gift, I will be honour to wear it."

"Princess, not ever one of my armours was wear by someone more deserving than you."

With that, Hephaestus left. Later the god of the underworld visited the blacksmith at his workshop.

"I knew you will come, you are getting predictable Hades."

"You gave Diana not only the most beautiful armour any warrior would ever want, but also a really powerful one. I can see you made it with love. Why Hephaestus?"

"I like your daughter."

"Tell me: what is the weakness of the armour you gave her?"

"I thought you never ask."

"If my daughter dies…"

"Not everybody hates you, although some of us do envy you. How of all of us, you had the chance to be happy and yet throw it away, is beyond me. But anyway, yes, there is a flaw in the armour: It can only be damaged by someone who truly loves Diana."

Hades sighed visibly relief.

"Thanks, then my daughter is safe."

"I would not be so sure Hades, sometimes the ones we love, hurt us the most," said Hephaestus cryptically.

Hades could not understand the hidden meaning behind Hephaestus words, "How can anyone whom loved Diana could hurt her?."

* * *

 

**Bruce**

Even though Bruce was in one of the softer and warmer beds he had been in years, he could not sleep, so he decided to get out of his chambers and explore his surroundings. Lucius' residence had a sober elegance, full of large and well-kept gardens, the green stone residence blend in with the exuberant woods outside Gotham. Lucius was a very loyal man with few but undying affections, which was odd at Gotham’s court.

Bruce wandered around the halls when a peculiar room caught his attention; it was a large library, full of oak shelters and ancient books. Delighted by his discovery, he started to inspect the books, when suddenly he heard a noise that came from within one of the bookcases; quickly he hid in the shadows of the library. From his hideout, he saw how Lucius and Jim Gordon walked into the room.

"Is dangerous Jim."

"We are living in dangerous times Lucius. We cannot kept Bruce hidden forever, is better to present him at court immediately."

"I disagree. The minute Cai sees him; he is going to try to murder him. As he did when he was in the east, you already know he tracked my letter and sent assassins to kill him at that monastery. No, I would not risk Bruce's life. We should wait until he turns eighteen, after all it will be only for a few months. Then he would be old enough to become the prince regent."

"You seem to forget everybody at court thinks Bruce is dead. What better way to convince them he is alive than to present him at court?"

"There will be little good in present him at court if he cannot rule Gotham. Which is going be difficult, considering Cai has done an excellent job portrait him as a negligent boy with anger management issues. I have only been able to stop Cai's advances on declaring himself the king, because of an old law that requires presenting the corpse of the dead monarch at court and have his identity confirmed beyond doubt by at least ten different witnesses. The council agreed on upholding that law, but only until Bruce's eighteen birthday, after the midnight of that day, if there is no sign of him, Cai would become king."

"More reason to present Bruce at court before he turns eighteen."

"Jim, don't you see? Cai thinks Bruce is dead, as long as he keeps thinking that, Bruce will be safe, my plan is to present Bruce almost at the end of his eighteen birthday to avoid Cai's intervention, we will caught him by surprise and that way he will not he able to hurt Bruce."

"And when are you planning to tell Bruce about this?"

"Tomorrow."

"Be careful. Bruce is not longer the sweet and shy boy we met."

"I know, but he is our only hope. Goodnight Jim, be safe."

Bruce waited until Lucius and Jim left the library, and with stealth returned to his chamber. He was angry with himself, he had been naïve when he though he could return to Gotham and take his place in the throne when he wanted. All these past months not once he ever thought he could be deny his birthright; he had been too busy learning how to become a human weapon, that he lost his focus: Gotham. Then he remembered one of the last conversations he had with his father, about the importance of honour and his duty as the future guardian and protector of the realm. That night Bruce promise to himself, he will never lose his focus again.

The next day, Bruce got up early, and listen to Lucius' less harsh version of the conversion he heard the night before, after that he remained silent for a long time, Lucius was about to leave when Bruce call him in with a serious tone:

"If I want to rule, I must know about the state of my kingdom."

"What do you want to know?

"Everything."

During the next days, Bruce learned all about the state of the affairs in Gotham from finances; security, health issues and state relations. He was surprised to learn that his kingdom was wealthier than ever, the war although terrible and devastating, had left Gotham as the victor, and Cai turned that advantage into a reign of terror, he made slaves out of every war prisoner and sold them. He confiscated the lands of the looser lords and distributed them among his allies. Many rebelled against the regime, and formed an underground insurgent army, engaging the royal guards in a dirty guerrilla war All around Gotham were inequity; thousands starved to dead while a hand full of dozens became wealthier and powerful. Bruce felt disgusted; he always believed that despite its flaws, Gotham was a good place to live, but now crime and corruption were everywhere.

He decided he could not stay hidden knowing his people were in pain. That night, dressed in a dark cape with an ample hood, Bruce got pass the guards at Lucius’ state. Hidden in the shadows, Bruce walked in the streets of Gotham for the first time in years. He was amazed about how much his childhood city had change, almost all the buildings had the seneschal sigil and there were many statutes of his father, along with the seneschal. Numerous squads of young royal guards marched often in the streets, and people avoided them like a plague. The atmosphere was dark and you could feel the terror of the gothamities hidden inside their houses. He was about to return to Lucius’ residence, when something caught his attention: A man was beaten viciously by other five. Bruce stay near but out of their sight, he observed as the men were dressed with the crimson and black colours of the royal guard, they were about to kill the men who was almost choking on his own blood, when Bruce intervened. In a swift move and protected by his cloak, he took down the five of them with a combination of martial arts moves he learned from his sensei and evasive tactics he learned from Kilowog. Soon, it was over, he helped the man who was barely alive, and asked him why he had been beaten so hard. He heard the story about how the guards arrived each afternoon to his tavern, asking for free beer and verbally abusing all the maids and waiters, but when one of them tried to sexually abuse his sister, he had enough and tried to confronted them, resulting on his beating. Bruce helped him to reach the back entrance of the tavern and left before any other members of the family saw him.

Bruce entered his chambers at Lucius residence just before the sunrise, he was stripping from his cape , when he heard a voice behind him:

"Sleep-walking Master Bruce?,” said Alfred with irony.

"Alfred!," said Bruce completely surprised, he did not notice when his maester had entered the room. Then he saw how Alfred was looking at his hands, and quickly he went to wash them, feeling on his back Alfred's questioning stare, he started to tell him about what he saw that night.

" Did they recognize you?"

"No, I kept my hood."

"Anyone who sees your face will recognize you. You cannot go playing the lonely avenger master Bruce, you are the prince of Gotham and must behave like one."

"And how is that, just stay aside idle, watching my people suffering? No."

"You will help them when you become their new king."

"Maybe then it will be too late, if I can avoid more murders and massacres I will."

"As Gotham king you will."

"There are things a king cannot do, but a vigilante can."

"What are you planning to do?"

"When I was walking there, I could taste the fear in the air from the people, that is wrong, the criminals are the ones whom should be in fear not the common people. My old sensei taught me that fear is a mighty force, I can use it to keep the criminals at bay and clean Gotham."

Bruce stopped talking to look the thing he had on his hand, as many times before, almost unconsciously, he was holding the old coat of arms Diana gave him, it was something he did often, stroking and caressing the little piece of metal gave him some sort of peace. Then an idea came to him.

"I need to be something else, a symbol, something the criminals fear…I will use a mask, that way nobody would recognize me."

"What type of mask?"

"One in the shape of a bat."

"Master Bruce, there is no need to do this."

"I need to do this. I need to bring justice to the people of Gotham, and I need to find out who was behind the murder of my parents."

"And what good would come from that? Revenge will not give you peace or love."

"I already know those feelings are not for me anymore. I have learned to embrace the darkness of my soul," said Bruce coldly.

"That is what you would like to believe master Bruce, but I beg to differ, I know you feel too much, for instance, you care deeply about the people of Gotham. And if that coat of arms you keep with yourself at all times is any indication, you still have other feelings too."

Bruce's steel-blue eyes glow dangerously, and then he closed his hand tightly around the coat of arms. "That is impossible."

"Difficult, hard to attain, yes, but not impossible master Bruce; after all the princess is still alive."

"She belongs to the past," replied Bruce.

"Really? If it is so, why don't you toss that coat of arms away?"

Bruce did not answer, but Alfred could see how the young prince was holding more tightly the small coat of arms on his fist, his knuckles were white because of the tension, as if he were afraid that somebody would take it away.

"I will leave you to rest now," said Alfred with sadness and left.

Reluctantly, Alfred agreed to help Bruce on his new quest, and supplied Bruce's weapons of choice and a mask to cover his face. In the following weeks Bruce became a dark knight who patrolled the city at night and prevent the criminals from assaulting and killing the people of Gotham, in short time he became a legend and headache for the royal guards.

It was in one of his patrols when he came to a curious scene: A boy was cutting the straps of the horse's chairs that belong to a squad of royal guards that were inside a local tavern. The boy was robbing them something from their saddles, when one of the guards saw him, quickly he called the others and soon all the squad were outside the tavern. All of them tried to size the boy, but he was incredibly agile almost in an acrobatic way, however, the royal guards soon cornered him in an alley.

Nevertheless, the kid did not look afraid, and kept fighting. He was skilled, but he was no match for a half of a dozen well-trained and armed royals guards. When the group were closing on him, Bruce jumped from the rooftop he was using as an observation post, and put himself between the guards and the boy. His sole presence, as a tall and dark figure was enough to make them freeze for a moment; but then, they all charged against him and the boy at the same time. Bruce use the brutal force from the guards as a weapon, and tossed them around, while kid was kicking the guards, one of them went away and started to whistle for reinforcements.

"Leave I will hold them!," ordered Bruce to the boy.

"No, I won't leave you here, they will kill you," said the boy and crossed his arms in front of his chest

Bruce saw with concern how quickly they were surround by increasingly more guards, even with all his skills Bruce knew he was in a tight spot and did not want to drag the kid with him.

"What is your name?" he asked in a more amicable way.

"Richard Grayson, but everybody calls me Dick."

"Dick, I need you to get into that rooftop, once you are in there I will follow, but that way you would distract them, can you do that for me?"

"Sure, my lord," said Dick, and started to climb with agility, among the fragile wooden rooftops.

It was a ruse; Bruce only tried to get Dick out of the fight, and when Dick left, Bruce felt relief, he would never forgive himself if again somebody could die for him. He faced the guards, and fought them with all his tricks and forces, but they were too many. One of them had a whip and lash it hard at him, it got tangled around Bruce's neck, hard enough to make him gasp for air, he tried to get ride of the whip, but then a couple of the guards seize him, and one of them hit him hard in the head with the back of his sword. That was the last thing Bruce saw before collapsing.

When Bruce woke up, he laid down on the floor, completely shackled and in a dark and damp dungeon. He could feel his body bruised and bleeding, slowly he tried to move and find a more comfortable position when one of the guards outside the cell, watched him. He opened the door and entered with someone else.

"Good you are awake, you really are a pester. If you confess all your crimes now, we will grant you a quick dead… but I guess, you are not the kind to confess quickly."

The guard circled him, as if Bruce were a piece of meat he was about to devour.

"I will enjoy so much watching your face distort in pain, begging… First, we need to get ride of that mask. Dave go and take it off."

Dave did as the older guard told him and removed Bruce's velvet mask; then he brought a torch and put it right in front of Bruce's face so they could see him properly, but what they saw made them both go speechless. Even with the bruises and a sore lip, Bruce looked as the lost prince of Gotham. Hours later the seneschal entered Bruce's cell. Bruce saw him and could not help to clench his teeth, he sensed Cai was behind his parents' murder and it took every once of his willpower not to get up and tried to make him confess, instead he looked at the void with a face difficult to decipher.

"Leave me alone with the prisoner, and call Jalil."

"As you wish your highness," replied the old guard.

Once alone with Bruce, the seneschal walked around the cell casually.

"You had growth, I bet you are taller than Thomas ever was, and you have your mother's eyes, which make you even more handsome than your father, and from your recent behaviour I can say you are even more dumb. What did you pretend going around dress as some sort of bat?"

Bruce did not answer, he just looked at Cai with cold anger.

"You don't want to answer? That is fine, I have someone who will make you talk. Jalil come here!"

Bruce saw a tall and thin man in a dark habit, walking into the dungeon. He was carrying an iron mask with pointy ears.

"I have a welcome present for you Bruce. I gave this careful consideration, and I think I found the perfect gift for you: a bat mask. After all, you always loved disguises. The blacksmith constructed this in a very clever way, is a master piece, even if you manage to get the mask out of your face, you will be so scarred, nobody will recognized you as the prince of Gotham," said Cai satisfied, “Jalil help me, let see how this fits him."

Bruce fought hard, but Jalil had brought seven men who help him restrained Bruce. The helmet-mask had two parts and as they started to weld the mask over Bruce's skull, the iron soon got so hot it burned part of Bruce's face and hair. At the end of the process, Bruce passed out because of the excruciating pain.

Cai contemplated Bruce's body, and spoke his mind freely among the guardians since all of them were mute.

"Even with your face covered with a mask, you are still dangerous,” he said and then an idea came to his mind, “ You always were so willing to fight. I remember how much you enjoyed fencing, maybe I can put to some use those skills… You will take part in Ares’ tournament, as Gotham’s champion, entertaining with your dead the gothamites you love so much " he concluded, and then he addressed the man in a dark habit, "Until the tournament, Jalil, make sure he stays in a comfortable cell, away from the other prisoners, I don't want anybody to know who he is. And make sure the guards who found him, keep the secret," he said with a malicious smile.

 


	17. knights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark reencounters with old friends, and make new ones.

**Lois**

After their fist encounter, Lois could not keep his mind away from his handsome rescuer, so she changed the route of her daily horse ride, hoping to see the dark-haired stranger again. One day she saw frantic movement across the river. Carefully, she crossed the river, but once she reached the shore, the sound of a tree falling scared her horse, which started to run away. Lois tried to control it, but it was useless, she was launch in the air, but instead of landing in a hard rock, she landed into the arms of his dark-haired saviour.

"Are you always getting in trouble?," he asked with an amused smile while putting her down.

"No," she replied looking embarrassed at him, and then she remembered her horse, "Oh my god, where is Azul?!," she asked visibly worried.

"I will go and fetched him," offered Clark and went fast to where the frighten horse were, easily calm it down and brought it back to Lois.

"You must be careful, he is still traumatized by the incident in the river," said Clark sensibly.

" Do you have the power to speak with the animals?," asked Lois with irony.

"No, but I have experience with them," replied Clark.

"Thanks for the advice, but since is  _my_  horse, I think I know how to handle him,"

"I did not mean to offend you," answered Clark softly.

"Apology accepted", said Lois, and started to walk away slowly taking his horse by the harness, "Come Azul, let's go."

"Wait! Since we seem to be running at each other lately, let me introduce myself properly, my name is Clark Kent," he said with a small and gracious bow. Lois found that endearing.

"Nice to meet you Clark Kent."

"And may I know your name my lady?," asked carefully Clark.

"My name is Lois Lane."

"A pleasure to met you, my lady," said Clark with a small bow, but this time looking at Lois straight in the eyes.

"Lois, just call me Lois."

"Lois," replied Clark gently, "Where are you from? I have never seen you before."

"I'm from Pittsdale, but my father just bought a villa near here. What about you?"

"I was born around here, but left for a few years."

"Because of the war?"

"Yes, because of the war."

"And where do you live now?"

"My family owns a farm near Smallvile."

"Smallvile? I have never heard of it."

"Is a small town."

"I bet," said Lois sarcastically, but immediately regret it as she saw the pained expression in Clark's eyes, so she made a hurried apology, "I'm sorry, I did not mean to be rude."

"No worries."

The walked in silent for a few moments and Lois decided to ask Clark:

"What is interesting to see around here?"

"We have some beautiful woods and good places for fishing."

"Fishing? Why would anyone like to do that?"

"Fishing can be really fun, would you like to try it?"

Lois did not answer at first, but eventually looking at the stranger eyes, she found it more appealing.

"I guess I could see about this fishing thing."

"Tomorrow at ten?," asked Clark hopefully, but after seen her hesitation, he offered, "If you want you can come with your guards."

"No, is okay. I will meet you here tomorrow," said Lois, and then the prospect of spending the summer at the villa did not look so bleak for her.

That was the first of many fishing dates. Lois who usually consider men dumb and blunt found Clark not only handsome but intelligent, polite and noble; she hated to admit it, but the tender demeanour of Clark, brought joy to her heart.

Her father noted the changes on his daughter behaviour and ordered his guards to follow her, and when he found she was seeing Clark, he ordered his faithful knight, Sir Lancaster to investigate all about him. Sir Lancaster informed Lord Lane that Clark was a boy who recently returned to town, his family owned the largest farm in Smallvile. Sam Lane was trouble, he had big dreams for Lois, and he wanted a bright future for her, one that only a powerful heir could provide.

* * *

**Lex**

Long time ago, Lionel Luthor and Sam Lane thought it will be a good idea to forge an alliance through the marriage of their kids, but that was before Lionel became the main ally of Gotham and the Lord of one of the most important nations on earth. Now more than ever, Lord Lane intended to make that old promise come true and he sent Lionel a letter with the proposal. Lionel, for his part, was unsure about the idea, but to be polite he decided to send Lex to visit the Lane's villa.

Lex reluctantly agreed. He would rather stay at home where he could continue with his multiple experiments. Lex was very resourceful and extremely intelligent, during the war, he invented many weapons that gave both Metropolis and Gotham an advantage; it was because of his inventions that Metropolis became a weaponry force to be reckon.

All the way to the Lane's villa, Lex found the landscape so tremendously dull and boring, he was about to return to Metropolis, when he heard laughs, and a voice that had a familiar ring, something that brought old memories back. Against Mercy's advise, he followed the voices, and what he saw made him froze: in front of him was Clark Kent, fishing and joking with a girl, as if there were not a care in the world.

Lex stood there contemplating the scene; remembering the difficult times after Clark's disappearance and how guilty and sad he felt. Despise everything, Clark used to be his best friend, and he regretted how the things between them had ended; when the war started he was deeply worried that some day he would find Clark's corpse in one of the war camps, but as the years passed, he wrapped his mind around the idea that Clark was dead. Seeing him there playing with a girl, was the last thing he expected, he dismounted his horse and without even thinking, he went to meet the couple. Mercy was at his heels, but he ordered her to stay away.

Lex kept walking when suddenly he stopped: Clark was in front of him; as usual, his movements were so swift, that for a moment, it looked as if he had vanished from one point materializing into another.

"Is really you," said Lex, relief and still surprised to find him, "You are not dead," he stated more as an affirmation to himself than a comment to Clark.

"Lex!, " said Clark with gladness but then he repress himself, although he could not help to briefly stare at Lex's head.

"An experiment went wrong," he felt like explain after detecting Clark questioning look at his bold head.

"Are you alright?," asked Clark with concern.

"Yeah, everything is fine, and after all is only hair."

"It gives you a distinctive look," replied Clark with a smile.

"Sure," said Lex rubbing the back of his head and smiling back at Clark, then many memories came back to him like waves crashing in the shore, "You never came back. You could send a letter, to let us know you were fine," reproached Lex.

He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth; that was the last thing he wanted to say. Many times, he rehearsed this conversation on his mind, what he would say to Clark if he ever saw him again, but now all those ideas were gone. He could not help it; seeing her former best friend, reopened old wounds he thought already healed.

"I believe there was not point in doing so. After all, you dismiss me," said Clark with sadness.

"I guess you were right," replied Lex, felling for a moment the pawn of guilt.

They stare at each other in silence, but then a voice took them out of the trance.

"Clark," called Lois.

"Sorry, I have to go," excused himself Clark.

"Yeah, you seem very  _busy_ ," replied Lex, and then returned to his cold façade, "Is good to know you are alive and well," he said and left.

When Lex reunited with his entourage, it was obvious he was very distress and immediately started to ride in the opposite direction from Metropolis, Mercy went after him, and once she reached him, she made him stop.

"Lex, where do you think you are going?," she demanded.

"To the Lane's villa, after all that what father wants, no?," he replied and went on galloping.

Mercy just shook his head.

Once he reached the Lanes's villa, Lex was received splendidly. In the evening, Lord Lane offered an elegant and lavish dinner in his honour, but the thing that impressed Lex the most was Lord Larne's daughter, not just because of her beauty, but because she was the same girl who was at the river with Clark. Lex took the dinner as an opportunity to find more about Clark, but he was surprised by Lois fiercely protectiveness of Clark's privacy.

* * *

The next day, Lois was about to leave in hopes to meet with Clark, when his father intercepted her and almost dragged her to the library.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"I was going for my morning horse ride," said Lois innocently.

"No, you were to meet that boy."

"What boy?"

"Don't pretend with me, the peasant boy you have befriended lately!"

"His name is Clark. And yes, sometimes we met in the morning."

"Effective immediately you will stop meeting him."

"Why?"

"He is not worthy of you"

"That is ridiculous!"

"No! You will stop meeting with that boy at once, and you will became engaged to Lex Luthor."

"What!"

"You heard me."

"You cannot make me marry somebody I barely know!"

"Lois," said his father trying to reason with her, "You are very young and although you are quite clever, you are still very naïve. Marriage has nothing to do with those romance stories your nana told you about knights and princess. Often we do not even meet our betrothed before the wedding, in your case you are lucky, Lord Luthor agreed to meet you before we even discuss the engagement."

"Engagement? Dad I do not want to marry."

"Maybe not yet, but eventually you will, and what better match than the heir of a large kingdom. Lex is not only rich but also intelligent, many who had met him claim he is one of the most brilliant men from our era. Why don't you give him a chance and get to know him? If after spending sometime with him, you still think the same, I will not force you to marry him."

Lois reluctantly agreed to ride with Lex that morning. He was polite and charming, but Lois was restless, she could only think on Clark. On purpose she rode with Lex in the opposite direction from the place she usually met with Clark.

Meanwhile in another part of the woods, Clark were waiting for Lois at their usual place, but as time went by and she did not arrive, he got preoccupied and decided to search for her. Due his super hearing he located her soon, but his heart stood still when he saw she was riding with Lex, although he did not want to spy on them, something stronger than himself pull him near the place where they were and he heard part of their conversation.

"You seem distracted my lady, is something wrong or am I boring you?," asked Lex after seeing Lois very silent.

"Not at all, and please call me Lois."

"Lois," replied Lex in a very sweet tone, then his voice turned serious, "May I speak with you frankly?"

"By all means do so."

"Please do not take this the wrong way, but I'm not eager to marry."

"Not at all, I'm not eager to the prospect myself."

"Because of Clark," replied Lex fast with a smirk.

"Clark?"

"Yes, Clark. When are you planning to tell him your father opposes to your relation?"

"What relation? I have just meet him, we are just friends."

" _Right_."

"What is that supposed to mean?," said Lois visibly upset.

"You are obviously head over heels for him. I have seen too many girls in that stage to recognize the look."

"What look?"

"The dazzled by Clark look."

"I'm certainly not one of those girls."

"If you say so, my lady," Lex replied with irony.

"You seem to be quite familiar with Clark...Do you know him well?," asked Lois intrigued.

"He used to be my best friend."

"What happen?"

"He left."

"Because of the war?"

"No, because of me, things I should have not said and done...I have to wonder how would he react to the fact that you are promised to someone else."

"We are not yet engaged."

"No, but soon you will be, if not with me with somebody else. Your father will agree to marry you almost with any other Lord, but he would rather locked you at a convent than married to a peasant like Clark."

After hearing Lex would marry Lois something inside Clark broke. Until then, he never thought about marriage, but the prospect of seeing Lois married to someone else, drove him mad. He flew away feeling both angry and desolated. After drifting for a while, he decided to land in the middle of the forest, near a small city. He entered the city and then he saw the people gathering on the main square. Curious, he follow them and then he saw a herald who with all the ceremony read aloud a new proclaim, an invitation to all the kingdom subjects to take part in Ares' tournament; the prize for the victors was simple but powerful: "Whatever their heart desires."

* * *

**Diana**

Ares selected Gotham, as the place to hold the tournament's fête and first stages. As per Hippolyta's instructions, Artemis and Alexa were travelling there with Diana as her bodyguards/squires. Diana was eager to get to Gotham, as soon as they reached the city, she searched for Bruce. The prospect of meeting him again, made her both happy and nervous. However, she was disappointed to find out nobody had seen Bruce in years, in fact, many at court thought he was dead. Although she refused to believe that, the idea made her feel disheartened.

When Diana arrived at Gotham's court, she felt a hostility growing towards her, like she never felt before. The other lords and knights looked at her with snobbery. Apparently in the patriarch world, women were not supposed to be in the battlefield, or taking part of a tournament. The women, who at Themyscira she would consider her sisters, avoided her, and looked at her like if she were a pariah. Diana decided to not take part or any of the fêtes before the Tournament and focus solely on her training. Artemis approved that behaviour, since she considered Gotham the most corrupt place in the world, unworthy of her princess.

During her second day at Gotham, she went to the woods, and search for the meadows where years ago she met Bruce, the place looked grim and dark now, there was nothing left from the cabin where she lived during the summer, and there was not trace of the pound where she used to play with her loyal wolves. She closed her eyes and started her daily routine of - exercises, just as the way she used to during that summer, as if the exercise could bring the memories of those lost times. Then a scream took her out of her concentration, it was a cry for help and without thinking, and she ran directly towards the sound. There she found a red-haired kid not older than eleven who was being bullied by three young squires, none older than sixteen-years-old. She felt her temper rising when she saw the squires attacking the boy, seeing the injustice she decided to face them.

"Let me go!" cried the red-haired boy.

"How dare you trying to take part in the tournament?" said one of the boys while hitting the red-haired kid hard on the legs with the wooden sword.

"An orphan and the nephew of a lesser knight. You are unworthy of participate…who would like to fight along you?"

"I would," said Diana "and I would be honoured."

The boys turned and when they saw Diana they become speechless, it was obvious her beauty mesmerized them. However, the leader of the boys, a freckled teen with pimps and crooked teeth, recovered from the vision soon and focus on the sword she was carrying.

"Only a girl who know nothing about knighthood would think you are could be a knight," said the boy, and then he kept walking towards Diana, addressing to her, "You are too pretty to carry that sword. Come, we will show how to have real fun," said the crooked-teeth boy with an ungainly flirt voice.

"Get off the boy!" ordered Diana.

"We do not receive orders from a woman, no matter how pretty she is," replied the taller of the bullying squires.

"Cowards! you are unworthy of carrying a sword," stated Diana with contempt.

"Who do you think you are? I'm going to show how you should address to your betters," said heatedly the boy with the crooked-teeth and charged against her. Diana took one look and easily dodged the boy's blow; he ended up in the floor, in a ridiculous position. The crooked-teeth boy was furious and then unsheathed his metal sword, trying to threat Diana. He advanced and lunged to her with all his energy. Diana graciously whirled and used her sword to envelopment his, and in a quick movement she disarmed him.

"The hell with you girl! We are going to teach you a lesson," he said and whistle, calling the other two boys, who quickly gather around Diana and surround her, and then boy with the crooked teeth flashed a smile, which only gave him a sinister look.

Diana looked at her opponents and quickly devised a tactic to beat them, it was not unusual situation for her, at Themyscira, Polemos often trained her to fight against multiple adversaries. She gave a swift round kick that hit all of them on the shin, which incapacitated them a little, however, they still lunged their swords against her, and she deflected one of their trusts with her sword and the other with her bracelets. She kick one of them on the plexus, and the hit send the boy straight to the ground, the other still astonish by that, tried to lunge at her, but she beat parry him and circled under his blade. So focus was she on fencing with that squire, that for a moment she forgot about the boy with the crooked-teeth who was still lying on the ground. The boy took from within his clothes a knife, and was ready to attack Diana from behind.

"Nooo!" shouted the red-haired kid as he blocked with swift movement the crooked-teeth boy, who was ready to stab Diana.

Diana saw that by the corner of her eye, lunged a fast movement, and then hit the boy whom she was parrying with on the plexus, so hard he felt. Quickly she turned around and grabbed the crooked-teeth boy's wrist and tossed him into the ground, rendered him unconscious. Then she went fast to aid the red-haired kid.

"Are you all right?" asked Diana visibly worried.

"I'm fine," replied the kid, who was on his knees and looked very pale.

"No, you are hurt. We need to heal your wounds," she said and tried to carry him, but the kid refused to move and offered resistance with the little force he had.

"What is your name?" asked Diana sweetly.

"Wallace Rudolph West, but everybody call me Wally," said the kid with a bright smile.

"Wally, where are you staying?" asked Diana again, still worried by Wally's wound.

"He is staying with me," said a tall young man, of dark-hair and blue eyes, who was just a few steps behind them, Diana was surprised, she had not see or heard him coming, it was as if he had materialized from thin air.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Kal-El, my lady," replied the boy with a bow, "Are you alright? Does these squires hurt you?," asked Kal outraged.

"No," replied Diana, "But they hurt Wally."

Kal turned to Wally and with his X-ray vision scanned him, he detected a blade cut on his right side.

"Wally, I need to cauterise the wound", he kneeled by Wally's side and said, "This is going to hurt, but is for you own good, otherwise you are going to bleed uncontrollably. Take my hand."

Diana watched with astonishment how Kal's blue eyes turned into a profound red and how beams came from his eyes, Wally screamed and then fainted.

"What did you do to him?" demanded Diana, angry.

"I'm sorry if I scared you my lady, but it was the only way. He was bleeding too much," replied Kal sheepishly, and then carefully he pull up a little Wally's under armour, to revealed the place where the blade cut was, the wound looked completely cauterised.

Diana's anger turned into surprise. She had only seen that kind of things from her father, and as far as she knew only the gods in the Olympus could have powers like that, she was about to ask Kal more when she heard the voice of Artemis calling for her.

"I have to go, please take care of Wally," Diana said and left.

Kal was speechless; he did not blink for various seconds, and simply stood there, looking the place where Diana had disappeared. Then the muffed noises from the young squires retreating, brought his attention back to Wally, easily he carry his limp body and took him to his tent.

* * *

The next day, Kal searched for Diana's tent, it was the last one in a raw near to the woods, but it stand from the others for its magnificence and elegance. Two Amazon guards, who immediately blocked Kal's pass, also heavily guarded her tent.

"Good morning, excuse me my ladies, I was wondering if lady Diana will be in."

"There is no Lady Diana here," said Artemis with contempt, "There is only her royal highness, princess Diana of Themyscira, and you will addressed to her like that."

Artemis pushed Kal on the chest, but was surprised to find he did not move.

"Please just tell her, that Wally is recovering well, thank you, " said Kal and left.

Kal kept thinking about Diana, impressed both by her indigo blue eyes and courage. But he did not see her, until the day of the Melee a pied tournament. He used his X-ray vision and recognized her despise the golden helmet she was wearing, which covered completely her face. She looked so beautiful he gasped because of the impression. He walked towards her and could not help to notice how the knights who were around Diana, had turn their backs at her, completely ignoring her. However, Diana seemed oblivious to that behavior. He got nearer and greeted her.

"Your highness," he said with a bow.

"Kal-El!," She said with a genuine smile, that he could see with his X-ray vision and he felt his heart warming.

"I just want to say that I cannot fight against you, but I will be honored if you allow me to fight beside you", he said and put himself right next to Diana.

"It will be my privilege to be your partner in arms, but only if you call me Diana," replied Diana brightly.

"I will do that your high..., sorry Diana," he said and felt a little blush coming to his cheeks. He usually did not blush, but Diana made him feel both a little intimidated and confident. He felt instantly at ease with her as if he had met her his whole life, and she were already his friend.

* * *

**Bruce**

Bruce spent the days before the tournament inside a cell in the highest tower of Gotham. He was still nursing a series of lashes on his back the guards had left him as a "souvenir". However, what drove him almost to the edge was the iron mask over his face. It was a mask of infamy, designed to mock him, however, by some reason it only gave him a fearful look, and it was design in way that it would need superhuman strength and extraordinary precision to take it off without hurt him. It was a clever device, and he felt like an idiot for walking straight into that trap.

He was trying to figure it out the way to escape, when the door opened abruptly. He immediately got up and put himself in a defensive stage when he saw the thin frame of Jalil in front of him. The mute torturer put in front of him his sword, along with the remains of his utility belt and the coat of arms of the bat. Then he disappeared only to enter again with dark armour, so obscure it looked as it could take away all the light around, along with a black cape. It surprised Bruce to see it was tailor-made for him. Jalil smiled at him in an almost sweet way, gave him a letter and left. Bruce read it:

_"Master Bruce, please do not despair. Tonight we are planning to get you out of that cell._

_Jalil will help us, trust him; he is part of the resistance. Use the armour he had give you and wait for our signal,_

_Your loyal subject, Alfred."_

Bruce felt his heart warm up. He put on the dark armour, along with the sword and coat of arms, and waited. It was not long when he heard a big rumble outside his cell, then the door swung open and the vicious guards who almost crippled him entered the cell. Quickly Bruce merged into the shadows of the cell and with agility, he kicked the guards down, he used his sword to hurt them in the legs, and soon the blood started to stain the floor. Although Jalil was outside and he kept fighting the guards, soon one of them impaled him to the next cell door. Bruce kept fighting, but then a voice rose above the sounds of the fight:

"Enough!," it was the seneschal voice. "Mark my words: For each of my guards that you cripple I will kill one of those orphan child peasants you seen so eager to defend, so how is it going to be?"

Bruce stopped fighting, he clench his teeth because he knew the seneschal was capable of that and more.

"Good, the tournament fête already began, but you always hated those things," the seneschal told him and then addressing to the guards he command them, "Take him directly to the field where the Melee a pied Tournament is taking place."

"What about his sword?," asked the same guards that impaled Jalil.

"Leave it on him, after all I have always been fair."

* * *

Bruce was practically tossed into the arena of the fighters. The field where the Melee a pied was taking place was enormous. As patron of the tournament, Ares wanted to offer a sumptuous show, one that will pass to the history as the best tournament ever held on earth, a complete spectacle to the avid masses. From what Bruce could gather, the usual tournament's rules had changed because of the amount of knights who were eager to take part in the contest for a chance to collect the prize.

First there will be a Melee a pied where all the knights will fight, clashing into each other, it will be a brutal battle, which will indulged many knights' lust for killing at will. In the end, only the 32 who remain still standing after the battle will pass to the next stage where they will be divided again in teams of four knights, which will have to joust among each other, until there will be left only 8 knights, who will face the ultimate test, one specially designed by Ares.

Bruce analyzed the competition. There were so many knights, many of them dressed in stunning armors embroiled with all kind of sigils, others wore simple clothes and had rustic weapons. There were some competitors who caught his attention: One was a very tall boy, with an armour with a "S" in the chest and a red cape; his armour was very light and it did not look like it offered a lot of protection, but it was like none other he has seen before. The other one was a lady warrior, one of the two women that were in the battle, she had a golden armour, so beautiful and shiny it glow, she carry herself with confidence and grace, her face almost completely covered by a helmet, her sword long and her shield elegantly embroiled. She was tall, just a few inches shorter than him, and since her kilt was very short, even in that gruesome field, he could not help to notice her very long and beautiful legs, he though he saw her carrying a lasso, but he was not sure, by some reason, she intrigued him.

Bruce stood behind the front lines observing, while the lady warrior and the tall boy were next to each other, in the first line, ready for the assault. When the herald made the trumpet sound, chaos unfolded. Even between the heated battle that started, Bruce took notice of the way those warriors fought, the tall kid, astonished Bruce, because of this speed, he moved fast and easily deflected any blow, it was obvious he was very strong, as every time he barely touched any of the other knight, they tumbled or were left unconscious when he hit them lightly. The lady warrior was skill, and she certainly had the best armour, many knights who thought she would be an easy target were in for a surprise, as they found their swords and knifes bend every time they tried to pierce her armour. There were something in her movements Bruce immediately recognized, those were the pankration moves, and he remembered them quite well.

 


	18. the heated battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first steps of the trinity

His initial tactic was to blend in the shadows and observe, before engaging into any actual fight. However, as soon as he saw a gang of contenders ready to assault the golden lady warrior, a cold anger washed over him. Something deep inside him, want to protect her, he felt drawn to her, like a moth to a flame. He ran in her direction to aid her. But every step he took towards her, another warrior or knight appeared in front of him willing to fight against him, at first he would parry with them but in the end he just hit them hard to get rid of them as they were obstacles between him and the golden lady warrior. Eventually he got close enough to witness first hand how fast she moved. She had managed to handle more than thirty warriors who had come after her, they were in different states of damage, but all of them were alive.

She was fighting in that moment against a knight with thick armour and an oak engraved on his shield. Bruce contemplated quietly how she defeated him; he stood still but she sensed him, and immediately turned around adopting a defensive stance, waiting for his attack; her golden armour shined in the light of the sun and her helmet covered almost all her face, except for her eyes and mouth, giving her a fierce and regal look. Bruce looked at her straight into the eyes, of such a rich blue, that reminded him of other profound blue eyes that plagued his dreams and represented his only solace during his nightmares; for an instant, he lost track of his surroundings and everything but her was a blur. He wanted to talk to her, to get to know her, but instead, he was just rooted to the ground, unable to move or articulate a word, simply lost in her striking blue eyes, which shinned as an azure fire that beacon him. Then by the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement, a shadow that came at their direction, in that moment he got out of his trance, and saw with horror how a massive warrior was coming at full speed behind her with an axe, ready to make a blow over her head.

Swiftly, he grabbed her by the shoulder and with all his force, pushed her away, as she slid, he lunged himself forward, using his right arm and his gauntlet as a barrier between the warrior's axe and her head. The monster warrior was frustrated because of that and charged against Bruce so hard he made him stumble and fall. Once Bruce was down, the giant warrior wickedly smiled and then, as an enraged bull, directed all his brute force against the golden lady warrior, who had already stood up.

Bruce gingerly got up and was about to run to aid her, when he was hit by a strange force, which dragged him away, then he felt how a hand constricted his throat and made him gasp for air.

"Coward, attacking a woman like that!," said his attacker angry.

He recognized that voice but what gave his attacker away what the fact he was hovering a few inches from the ground.

" I was... trying ... to protect... her...Clark," Bruce managed to said.

His attacker release his hold on his throat, and looked at him differently, his eyes turned from a bright blue to platinum, like the eyes of a cat when it reflected the light at night.

"Bruce Wayne?," replied the knight with the 'S' on his chest and let Bruce go, "What are you doing here?," asked Clark perplexed.

Bruce interjected him brusquely, "Later, now, go and help her." Bruce said while he got up.

Clark swiftly reached Diana but she had already turned the things around and released a last stroke at the warrior's neck, which rendered him unconscious.

"Enough!" said a commanding voice loud enough and as if they were under a spell everybody stop fighting. The tall figure of Ares appeared in the centre of the field, in all his glory as the god of war, dressed in elegant clothes and beautiful as the sunrise, "Congratulations! All of you, who are still standing, had pass the first stage of our tournament, go and enjoy the fest in my honour. Tomorrow, we will start the second phase of the contest. And remember to the victor go the spoils, if you found something in the looser side you fancy, you may take it," concluded Ares with a sinister smile, looking directly at Diana and then he disappeared.

The knights and warriors started to move again and all their squires were allow to enter the field; soon Artemis and Alexia surrounded Diana.

"Are you hurt?" asked Artemis, visibly worried.

"No Artemis, I'm fine."

"Come your highness. You need to rest, and get out of this reek," said Artemis while she looked with contempt at Clark and Bruce.

Alexia and Artemis almost drag Diana away. She managed to turn her head again for a moment, and then she looked at Clark, who was smiling at her, but Bruce had vanished.

Bruce ran away, he hide in the shadows of the forest nearby. His heart was pounding. He was just about to have another glimpse at her, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder, quickly he stiff and was about to throw a bat rang when he heard a very familiar voice.

"Master Bruce, you need to take care of that wound," said Alfred while looking at his gauntlet dripping with blood.

"Alfred, how did you find me?"

" A tall man, dress in a black armour with the mask of a bat over his face? It is not that hard."

"What about Cai?"

"He cannot touch you while you take part in the tournament, although I must admit he looked quite displeased to see you are alive and well."

" I bet…" said Bruce with a smirk.

"Follow me, Master Bruce," said Alfred and started to walk away from the woods.

"Where are you going?"

"You happen to have a tent."

"A tent?

"Yes, every one of the participants have one. I think you will find it enchanting."

* * *

The tent was in fact a large pavilion at the end of the last row, near the woods. It was Spartan, but Alfred somehow had managed to make it comfortable and smart. Alfred healed Bruce wounds, and left him to rest in a soft bed, however, Bruce was restless; the last days had been extremely strange. Unable to sleep, he decided to go for a walk.

The camp had many tents and pavilions of different shapes and sizes, inside some of them were loud parties with bonfires outside, he could hear the noises and the smells of a mix of music, sex, wine, blood and food. The odour of the excess of the night, and of the fear of those who thought they would never see another day.

The mêlée had been gruesome, a brutal battle where only chaos ruled, many of those who had take part in the contest had more enthusiasm than training and thought it would be an easy task. If the mêlée had taught something to Bruce was that, it will not be easy to survive the tournament.

He kept walking until he was by the side of one of the last pavilions, it was very large and elegant, then he recognized the sigils of Themyscira, and froze. He was about to go around it, when he heard voices that came from the near woods, quickly, he hide behind a tree, just in time before he saw Clark having a heated discussion with someone.

"How long are you planning to keep playing this game?" said a man who seem visibly angry, he was wearing an armour similar to the one Clark used during the mêlée.

"Is not a game, and I'm intent to finish the tournament and win."

"Because of that girl, that is your ultimate desire, to marry her?" the man asked Clark again with disapproval.

"How do you know about her?" replied Clark surprised, "Never mind, no, my ultimate desire is to see Krypton back and well, to be able to help my people, and protected them from harm, my ultimate desire is for all the nations in our world to live in peace."

"And you think winning this stupid contest will give you that? I granted you almost all my powers; you are one, if not, the most powerful being in the earth, practically indestructible and almost immortal. You know as well as I do, that you could easily destroy all this knights and warriors here in a blink of an eye. Why bother to take part in this game? Why wasting all your potential?"

"You are the one who dismissed me from the fortress of solitude, you send me back to Smallvile, and now what? You want me to go back to be your apprentice again? No, I am sick and tired of following orders, of being a pawn in some else scheme. If I want to help the kryptonians and rebuilt Krypton, I must find my own way, and I'm sorry if you don't like it".

"I'm a god Kal-El, what I give, I can take away," said Rao solemnly.

"I'm a Kryptonian and the rightful heir of Krypton, that is something you cannot take away from me, even without powers I will fight to rebuilt my kingdom and make earth a better place to live."

Rao stood still, hovering above the ground quietly but then he spoke with voice calm and stern.

"As you wish Kal-El, I will leave you alone then," he said with sadness, a bright light engulfed him, and he disappeared.

Once alone, Clark crumbled, he was shaking and on his knees. Bruce remain hidden, surprised by what he had just witness. He recognized Clark as the boy who could fly, but he never suspected he was also the lost prince of Krypton. For years his father looked for him, as a debt of honour he owned to Jor-El his former ally and friend, however, as the years passed, and nobody found him, many thought the prince of Krypton was dead. Now that prince was in front of him, shaking and looking terribly distressed. He got out of his hideout and tried to reach for Clark.

"Clark," Bruce's voice seemed to starlet him; for a moment, he looked at Bruce and did not seem to recognize him, until he heard his voice again.

"Get up," Bruce said offering him his hand.

"Did you heard all that?," asked Clark a little ashamed.

"Some", said Bruce, "Come, you need to eat."

"Wait! I would like to explain…"

"There is no need," replied Bruce and started to walk followed closely by Clark.

Much to Alfred's astonishment Bruce arrived with Clark and although he did not said much, it was obvious he found the company of the young Kryptonian interesting. Alfred could not help but to smile, because maybe despise the dark environment that surrounded them, Bruce could find friendship and hope.

* * *

Ares was at the room of arms of Wayne's castle; the place had been decorated with all kinds of hunting trophies and vestiges of past eras. However, the main piece of that room was a very large fireplace, made of a marble so white it offer a high contrast with the relatively darkness around, on the top of the fireplace there were sculptures of key figures of the Wayne's story. Ares liked the place, so he spent most of the time sat in a large chair that looked like a throne. It was in there where Cai found him, looking at the fireplace lost in his own thoughts.

"Ares, did you like the fetes in your honour?" asked Cai carefully.

"There were fine, but I hope we can have a more sumptuous closure event."

"We will, you must be glad the mêlée looked like a battle field, I guess your mere presence had that effect on the audience."

"Not everybody felt like that," said Ares with disappointment in his voice.

"What do you mean? The fight was vicious most of the contestants died or are severely injured, the ones that remain still standing are the strongest and fierce, and even some of them are wounded."

"I agree, however, the boy with a "S" on his armour and Diana are just fine, not even a scratch, and your  _nephew_  did not look seriously wounded by the battle either."

"How did you know it was him?!"

"I'm a god Cai, I can see beyond a simply iron or golden mask…that is why I can tell you those three are the most dangerous."

"Bruce does not have any special gifts."

"You underestimated him, don't do that."

"I grant you he is persistent, perhaps someone with your powers can help me to get ride of him."

Ares flashed Cai a complacent smile and said, "Why not?... Maybe we can kill two birds with the same stone."

* * *

As part of the second stage in the tournament, all the contestants entered into a round robin, of eight groups of four contestant each. They have to just among each other, and only the best two of each group will pass to the next stage.

A herald appeared early in the morning at Diana's pavillion to announce she was schedule to parry against the dark knight, that was his nickname, since nobody knew his name and his face was covered with an iron mask.

Diana did not know why, but she felt anxious about the idea of fighting against him. She remembered vividly his blue eyes, and the intensity of his stare hunted her since she saw him. Carefully she got ready for the battle, putting on each piece of her armor slowly with an almost religious reverence, then as the final piece she wore the "W" silver pendant. She used to wear it in every one of her most important fights, Polemos once told her, that each warrior needed a token of the things dear to him, to remain grounded in the moments of glory, and to not despair, in the moments of agony. From that moment, always hidden among her tunic, she wear the "W" pendant as her personal symbol.

The time past fast and soon another herald came to her pavilion to take her to the arena where she would fight against the dark knight. She got out of her tent flanked by Artemis and Alexia, her golden armor glittering under the sun.

When she reached the arena, both the other contenders and the audience were dazzle by how regal she looked in her armour. Bruce watched from the distance her arrival, he was already at the arena hidden in the shadows; he could not take his eyes away from her.

The herald made the introductions of all the court highest members, and at the end he presented Ares between the cheers and loud noises of approval from the crowd. He signaled the contestants to enter the arena and to star the joust.

Bruce entered the arena after her, and greeted her with a little bow, as a way to show his respect for her. His gesture surprised Diana, and increased her curiosity about the mysterious knight.

As he anticipated she was dangerous, skill and agile. He tried to hit her, but she dodged and he only managed to hold the seam of her cape, which got tear, she snarled enraged, and tossed away the now tattered cape. She charged at him with force and he got ready for the clash, putting himself in a defence stage, when he saw a silver pendant in her neck in the form of a "W". He felt like an explosion had set off on his soul and an intense indignation start to seethe inside him, because there could be only one person who could wear that pendant. He remembered in that moment, the sorry state in which he was when she left, the many letters he wrote to her, and that return without an answer, and specially how much he needed her after the fatal day when his life changed forever.

Incensed, he parried against her, with all his force and determination, but finding at every step harder to concentrate since so many mixed feelings were clashing over his heart. The distraction costly dearly, because she hit him hard in the ribs, as a reflex he turned to avoid the hit and use his sword as a protection. She dodged, but the hilt of his blade managed to hit her on the right side of her helmet, and to Bruce and hers astonishment, it immediately fracture as if it were made of clay.

Without losing a minute, Diana took it off, and tossed it away charging again, much to Bruce's and the multitude amazement, because, she was so stunning, the entire arena went in awe surprised to see how gorgeous she was. It took just one instant for Bruce to see her beautiful face, in the flesh not as he dreamt her, for all his anger to vanish. He was about to call her, but her name died on his lips, when he remembered his mask, and how scarred his face most be; his heart froze, in that moment, all his desire to battle her evaporated and he simply defended from her trusts.

"Fight, do not be a coward!", she yelled, angry because of his lack of response. He tried to neutralize her, but she was strong and parried against him with passion. Eventually, he lost that match, but he could not care less, because he had seen her again. He was swift on his exit from the arena and left without saying a word just giving her a short bow, she wanted to talk to him, but in the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

Ares declared Diana the winner of the match, however, he mock her victory calming that she had use her beauty as a weapon. "Your mother will be displeased", he concluded.

Diana was furious; not only because of Ares' words, but because she knew, she had won to an opponent who chose not to fight. Fuming, she walked straight out to the arena into the camp, looking for the mysterious dark knight.

Bruce returned to his tent, with his mind convulsed and although he did not say a thing, Alfred noticed he was really upset, so he tried to tease him as a way to lighten the situation.

"Master Bruce you did the cavalier thing. I heard she is really attractive…nobody would blame you, for being distracted."

Bruce did not answer and instead started to furiously clean his armour.

"However, often beauty can be deceiving," said Alfred again almost to himself.

"This is not the case, she does not know, how incredible beautiful she is," said Bruce as a fact.

Alfred was surprised, he had never heard Bruce referred to somebody like that. He was about to ask him more, when he heard a loud noise outside their tent, immediately he went to see the cause, and to his surprise it was the lady warrior in person, and she looked really angry.

"Is this the tent of the dark knight?"

"May I ask who is looking for my master?"

"Tell your master, Diana of Themyscira would like a word with him."

Before Alfred could reply, Bruce was out of the tent and next to him.

"I'm here, speak", Bruce said brusquely and his voice sounded serious and event in a few octaves deeper. Diana was about to talk, when Alfred politely interject her, although, he had never met her before, he recognized her name, and immediately knew she was the princess of Themyscira.

"Your highness, would you do us the honour to come inside our tent? I believe that is better that if you want to discuss something with my master, you have some privacy."

Alfred open the main entrance of the tent guiding Diana inside, he gave Bruce a warning look when he looked eyes with him as he follow inside.

"Your highness, would you like water or something to eat perhaps?" asked Alfred politely.

"No, thank you," she said smiling at Alfred, while her eyes were irate while looking at Bruce.

"In that case, I will leave you alone with my master, please if you need anything do not hesitate in call me, my name is Alfred"

"Thank you, Alfred."

Once they were alone, Bruce remained quiet and observed her carefully. He had learned to master his emotions and to not show them, so he looked calm and collected. However, inside he was having a battle between his desire of reveal his identity to her, hold her in his arms, and tell her how much he had missed her; then the idea that she may not even remembered him crossed his mind, as painful slap that broke all his dreams. He tried to stay focus and stern, but he could not help to curl his fingers so hard his knuckles were white.

For her part, Diana was deeply upset, she wanted to know why he had stop fighting, and she did not want any special treatment. All she wanted was a fair fight; she hated to be the winner because somebody was patronizing her.

"So, what do you want to talk about," asked Bruce in a deadpan tone.

"Why did you let me win?"

"I did not let you win, I simply choose not to fight against you."

"Why?"

"I have my reasons."

"Is it because of my gender?"

"No, I parried against women before."

"Is because of who I am?"

"And who are you?"

"I'm, Diana, princess of Themyscira."

"Well,  _princess_ , sorry to disappoint you, but no, that was not the reason, and I do not have to explain myself to you."

"You do own me an explanation, I demand it!" said Diana in her must regal tone, every inch of the rightful princess she was.

"You demand it?" he asked outraged, "No, you do not have any right to demand anything from me," he replied with venom.

"You own me that as a warrior, and as a knight," said Diana in little more polite tone.

"I'm neither of those, I'm simply a man who has been thrown into an insane battle, and just want to survive. Now, if you excuse me, I need to clean myself."

"You lost on propose," she reproached him.

"I did not lose. I let you win. Consider it as my gift to you."

"I do not want any gifts from you! I have trained all my life to be a warrior, I do not want your pity, or your so-called " _generosity_ ", the next time we face each other, I want to know that you will fight against me with all you got and willing to do your best."

"Trust me, this will be the last time I will give you something, and now, if that is all you want to say to me, I believe we are done here," said Bruce in an angry and scary low voice.

Diana, was outraged, she had never felt such anger against any living being, as she felt in that moment for that man, dress in black armour with the mask of a bat.

"Men", she said, in a way that the word sounded as an insult, and then, she left Bruce's tent, livid.

Once alone, Bruce stopped curling his fingers, he had curled them so hard his nails had hurt his palms. He was shaking, a part of him wanted to scream at her while other part of him was happy just to see her again in the flesh not in his dreams.

Alfred returned with a glass of water, and gave it to Bruce. He drank it at once and then he left the glass on the top of a little table in the middle of the pavilion, with so much force, it broke.

"And now she came back, for what? Where was she when I need her the most? I don't want her, she is a painful memory of happy moments that won't come back," Said Bruce to himself, however, Alfred tried to comfort him.

"Master Bruce, you were kids with forces beyond your control taking over you. Sure you can't blame yourself or the princess for what happen."

"I know, Alfred, but what is the use of this feeling, what good can came from it?"

 


	19. Flying in the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana and Bruce fight for the innocent and weak, but they are surprise by Kal-El concept of justice

**Flying in the dark**

Diana had never felt as irritated as she did when she left the dark knight's tent. Artemis, noticed right away something was wrong by the way she furiously stroll down, and by how her eyes were beaming with fire. Therefore, when Diana said she needed to be alone Artemis understood, although, it was the first time she had ever seen Diana like that. As if a long-lost memory returned to her mind, Diana found herself walking straight into the meadows inside Gotham woods.

Not only Diana was livid, Bruce on the other hand, was really annoyed because of the visit of the Amazon, suddenly the thin layers of cloth of his pavilion felt like thick walls, and the confinements of his iron mask, felt more oppressive than ever; he needed to get out. He took his sword and utility belt, and went straight to the meadows, where once he was so happy. Since he returned to Gotham, he had avoided that place, but now he felt compelled to go there.

It was the mid of the afternoon and the meadows were under a soft tender light, that gave them a strange glow, and although the place was not as beautiful as once was, it still had some hidden enchantment that made Bruce feel better. He had been in there for a few moments, when he heard somebody approaching, immediately he hide among the shadows of the nearby trees, just in time to see the slender figure of Diana emerged from the forest.

* * *

It was hard for Diana to recognize the meadows. Long gone were the pound and the cabin, and from the distance she could see various mounds in odd shapes, as she got close to them, she instantly knew those were the tombs of her faithful wolves. " _Bruce had bury them,_ " she thought, and then the memory of their lost friends came to her mind, and long tears rolled over her cheeks.

She kneeled over the tombs and whispered a prayer to her gods. At that moment, she felt as if someone where watching her, as an instinct she unsheathed her sword, and there hidden in the shadows, observing her, she saw the dark knight, watching her with a profound gaze as if he could see her soul. She put her sword away and went to meet him defiant.

"Have you been following me?"

"No."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I'm free to walk where I want."

"Not among this woods."

"Why not?"

"These woods belong to the prince of Gotham."

"Really?" replied Bruce in a sarcastic tone, "And when was the last time you saw him? No, wait, do not answer that...I bet it was years ago. Tell me Princess, would you recognize him if he were in front of you?"

Diana was about to answer, when she heard a painful scream, follow by other disturbing noises.

"Did you hear that?" she asked the dark knight.

Bruce could not hear anything out of the ordinary sounds of the forest, but then he saw, a flock of birds flying away from one of the far ends of the woods, and a column of smoke and his heart beat faster, because he knew it could only mean danger.

"There are people suffering, they are screaming from pain," said Diana anxiously, while running fast towards the noise.

"Princess, wait!" He scream, but it was useless, Diana was already gone and would not go back. Without even thinking, he went right after her.

* * *

When Diana got out of the woods, she encountered a Dantesque scene; a complex of villages were burning, and people were running in panic in every direction, some of them were in flames, already caught up in the fire that ignited their homes. The place was complete chaos, but she could see many armed men attacking the people who tried to fleet the scene and sending arrows with fire on their tips to the roofs of the remaining houses.

"This is what will happen to anyone who go against the rules!," Diana over heard some of those men yelled.

"You support the rebels, now share their destiny," said another.

Diana saw how the men set on fire a complex of huts, and with horror noticed that were people inside. She ran to aid them; and while she heard the screams of the frighten women and children, who were trap behind the flaming woods of what used to be their home. Diana made a prayer to her gods and used all her strength to throw down the walls; eventually she opened a safe path for the women and children to pass and quickly directed them to the safety of the nearby woods. Then she heard another small group of children and animals that were trap inside a flaming barn. The animals had gone wild and the kids were frighten in a corner whispering prayers to their God, she managed to enter the barn and ordered the animals something in Themyscirian, surprisingly the animals calm down enough for her to promptly lead both the kids and the animals out of the collapsing barn.

However, as fast as she was trying to help as many people as possible, her efforts did not went unnoticed to the captain of seneschal guards, who instructed some of his soldiers to surround her.

"Get that woman, the one in the golden armour."

"But captain, she is one of the champions, we cannot arrested them or even engage into a fight with them, not while they are on the tournament."

"Listen to me boy, we are doing this to teach these people a lesson about not helping the rebels, and how do you think they are going to react if they see someone out of the blue is helping them? They are going to get more confident and will go against us. Now go and get her! The rest of you do not let anyone escape, take no prisoners."

Two large men surrounded Diana, she did not even flitch, she simply looked at them and smile, it was not a gentle smile, or a nervous smile, it was a knowing smile, because she could easily defeat them.

"Men, get out of my way," she warned them.

"No, you are coming with us, stop interfering," said the younger of the officials and gave a step forward cutting Diana's path.

She lassoed them in a big loop, and in a single swift movement, she wrapped them. Diana wanted to know what was the cause of that injustice, so she asked with a voice stern and firm, more adequate of an older person than of a seventeen year-old.

"Why are you doing this?"

"As a punishment for helping the rebels," replied one of the men, compelled by her lasso to answer her with the truth.

"Burning their houses and killing them just for that? Is all they have and they are subjects of the Gotham realm, these are the people you promise to protect!"

"We had to destroy the village to save it from the guerrilla. We have orders to burn their cabins to the ground, pollute the wells, kill all the livestock and take no prisoners, this is as lesson to the rebels, and everything is part of the pacification strategy."

"This will not bring peace, but terror…Who order this?"

"We must follow the orders from our lawful ruler, the seneschal."

"Your lawful ruler is the Prince of Gotham."

"We have not see him in years, maybe he is dead. We only have the seneschal now."

Diana closed her eyes, she had heard enough, and now was both incensed and sad, she slapped them so hard, and both men lose conscious. She untied them, and went on from hut to hut, to save the villagers from their burning houses, and stop other cruel horrors, she never thought a human being could inflict to another.

* * *

Bruce arrived a little while later than Diana, and immediately climbed to one of the near by trees, so he could have a clearer vision of the scene. He saw her helping the people, and even the animals, to get out of the flames, enthralled by her courage and speed, but what really captivated him, was how even in the most dire circumstances, Diana still look beautiful. Her armour reflected the light of the flames; she glowed as a supernatural being, "An angel of vengeance," thought Bruce and smirked, as he saw her slapped two of the seneschal men.

Bruce saw the guards moving with constructed meticulousness, surrounding the village and preventing everyone from escaping that inferno. He threw a couple of the batrangs and with sharp precision, and hit various guards in the calf and on the shoulders; then he saw a group of guards leading away thirty men, blindfolded, and with their hands tied up, Bruce's heart pumped harder and he hurry to aid them.

The sun was hiding in the horizon, and helped by the shadows of the early evening he hide and caught the guards by surprise, he engaged into a violent fight with them, unleashing all his fury and left them alive but completely pulped. One of the guards managed to escape, and called for reinforcements, so more guards arrived.

Diana noticed the movement and saw how the guards were attacking the dark knight, by a reason she could not explain herself, her heart froze and an anxiety like non other she ever felt before took over her, swiftly she ran to his aid.

Bruce was so enraged, his hits and trusts were becoming increasingly more brutal, thanks to his superior training, he was able to battle against at least a dozen of guards, but as more guards continue to appear, he was starting to become outnumber. Diana soon arrived to the scene and quickly engaged in to the fight, parrying against half of the men that were attacking the dark knight.

However, Bruce was so caught of on his fierce battle, that when he felt her presence near to him, he almost stroke her, but then he looked into her eyes and for a moment all his fury vanished, as he recognized those indigo blue eyes that meant so much to him, and lower his blade. He was about to scold her for being there, when she shout at him.

"Behind you!"

Quickly he turned around kicked the guard, rendered him unconscious.

"I can hold them here, go and untied the villagers," said Bruce in his regal tone that admitted no discussion.

"No, I will hold the rest of the guards while you do that," said Diana with determination, "You seem to know better this woods than me, and you will know where to direct them to safety."

He was about to argue with her, when more guards arrived surrounding them, only this time they were archers with their arrows pointing at them.

"Surrender!," order the captain of the guards.

Diana exchanged a meaningful look with the Dark Knight, as if they spoke a secret language, just by looking at him she understood what he intended. Bruce reached for a pocket on his belt, and subtracted something that looked like a pebble, and in a quick move, he throw it away at the feet of the archers, so fast, they did not get time to react, and smoke enveloped them all. Bruce took Diana by the waist, and launch a grapple to a nearby tree, taking both of them out of the encircled archers. It was just for a moment, but Diana was surprise by how tender was his touch, and by her own reaction, as if him touching her in a brief embrace came natural, instead of something repulsive, as her sisters and her mother taught her.

As soon as they reached the floor, Diana lassoed the archers and tight them up. Bruce took advantage of the confusion and easily defeated the captain of the guards.

"I will take the villagers to a safe place inside the woods, where they can spend the night," said Bruce, deadpan.

"I will look around and search for wounded villagers that might got behind," said Diana, and started to walk away, but the dark knight call her back.

"Do a quick search and if you find any wounded, bring them where the woods start at the east, I will get back and meet you there in an hour," said Bruce with determination.

She did not why, but suddenly she worried about him, "Take care," she said, with genuine concern.

He simply nodded, and disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Diana went back to rests of the village and found few survivors; most of them had already run away, sadly, she saw various corpses of villagers that were less fortunate. She was about to leave, when her acute hearing detected a faint sound of a heavy breathing; she started to dig in to a pile of burned wood and rocks that used to be a cabin. Then she saw in the middle of rumble, two kids, one of perhaps nine years old, and the other maybe five, Diana assumed they were siblings. The older kid was holding his brother tightly against his chest, both of them were cover in dirt and dust, but they were alive.

She touched them, but the older kid refused to move, he had his eyes shut.

"No, please, do not hurt us, do not hurt my little brother," he pleaded.

"Everything is fine, I'm not going to hurt you," said Diana in a soothing voice.

Hearing her voice, both kids ventured to open their eyes and as soon as they saw her, they instantly felt calm.

"We need to get out of here. Can you walk?"

"I think I can," said the older brother.

"What about you?" asked Diana sweetly, the young kid tried to get up, but his leg was trap in between a pile of rocks and logs. Diana quickly took those away, only to discover that the little kid's leg was broken.

"What is your name?" She asked.

"Tim," replied the young kid, nervous.

"Tim, I'm going to repair your leg, but is going to hurt you, although the pain will not last long. Would you be a brave boy for me?" asked Diana, and looked at Tim directly in the eyes.

The kid nodded, and then his older brother grabbed a piece of wood.

"Here Tim, bite this hard."

Diana quickly snapped back the bone into his old place, while Tim, bite the piece of wood and thick tears came from his eyes. Then she took another two relatively large pieces of wood, and tearing the hem of her skirt, she made a tourniquet.

"Great Tim, you are a brave boy! Come," she said while scooping him in her arms.

"No, my lady, please," said the older kid trying to stop her from carrying his little brother, " it would not be proper."

"What is your name boy?" asked Diana in her regal tone.

"Richard, but everybody call me Dick."

"Dick. Is alright, we need to get out of here fast," said Diana, and offer his hand to Dick. He held her and in that moment, relief washed over him, he could not believe how they had just went from hell to heaven, lead now by an incredible gorgeous young woman, to safety. He was impress by how, she could carry Tim as if he were as light as a feather; his little brother had already dried his tears, and was in shock too to be carried away by the Amazon princess, in all his young years he had never seen somebody as beautiful.

"Are you an angel?," asked Tim timidly.

"Idiot! She is a warrior, you are one of the champions,right?" said his older brother embarrassed.

"I'm an Amazon, and yes, I'm taking part of the contest," replied Diana with a smile, and walked the rest of the way in silence, Diana constantly in the look out for either survivors or guards. Then their silence was broken for Dick's enthusiast yell.

"Look there is Batman!" said with excitement Dick, pointing at the dark knight.

"Batman?" asked Diana surprised, "Is that his name?"

"Well, I do not know his name, nobody does, but since he has the mask of a bat we call him Batman, I knew he would help us...He help me out once", said the boy with a bright smile, which was a sharp contrast with his face darken by the smoke and dirt.

Although, he was just a little boy, Diana was surprise by how he manage to have enough force to practically dragged her, where the dark knight was standing, partially hidden in the shadows, waiting patiently for them. Diana reflected in how peculiar was that this little kid seemed immune to his fearful look.

Bruce looked calm and expressionless, although inside he was anxious. He ran as fast as he could to return on time to the place they agreed to met, but as the minutes passed and she did not return, his fears came crawling back at him, like a poisonous snake. He tried to fight his entire fret, but his mind was reeling about worse case scenarios; he was about to run to find her, when he saw her coming from a distance, and relief washed over him. There she was, in her shining golden armour, carrying a young child with one arm and holding the hand of another.

Despise the dirt that covered his face, he recognised that kid, as the acrobatic boy that he helped before the seneschal men imprisoned him. The kid, ran to him, and gave him a bright smile.

"Where should I take the kids?" asked Diana promptly.

"Follow me," he said and started to walk inside the woods, and then Diana saw a dim light inside of a cave.

"A cave? Is it safe?" she said whispering, trying to be out of the hearing reach of the boys around them.

"Safer than walking wounded around the woods, exposed to the cold of the night or to the rain" replied Bruce softly although defensively, "inside the cave they can wait for the morning."

"Sorry, I…I just do not like caves," said Diana apologetically, "Once I though I lost my best friend inside one. Since then I consider them a trap," she said to her own astonishment. She had never told anyone about that, but by an inexplicable reason, she found easy to reveal this to him.

Bruce felt deep down a small joy to know she was referring to him as her best friend, "They are going to be fine, princess," he said and the ghost of smile crossed his lips.

Once they reached the cave, Diana saw various fragile frames, the villagers got together around a bonfire, and were starting to take care of the wounded.

"Do you see your parents?", asked Diana to the older boy.

"No, but I can wait for them here, you can leave Tim to me," said Dick reassuring, "I can take care of him, really."

She smiled at him, and reluctantly put the small kid down in the floor, where the older kid sad next to him protectively. All the sudden the whispers in the cave went louder.

"Fire!," shout a man. She turned around, only to see the nearby woods lighting up.

Then she remembered the guards tied up with her lasso, completely helpless to run away from the fie, and she took pity on them. She was about to leave the cave, when she found the dark knight next to her.

"Stay here," he commanded and she felt how her blood started to boil by his condescend attitude.

"No," she replied irritated.

He glared at her, a dangerous look that could make men cringed, but she simply stood defiant.

"Fine," he said, and she smiled sweetly at him. He hated that smile because every time she did that, he felt vulnerable, as an addict in front of his favourite drug.

"Let's go," she said, again with the smile. They ran towards the fire, but when they reached the ruins of the village where they left the guards, they did not find any of them, the fire looked extinct too. Bruce was about to investigate, when a whirl of wind hit him, and then they saw in all his glory the last prince of Krypton.

"Kal, thank Hera!" said Diana with gladness. Bruce could not help to feel a paw of jealousy because of the way Diana addressed Clark, but refrain to show it.

"I saw the fire and decided to give a hand," said a young man in blue with a bright smile, "the fire is extinct now, and I took care of the guards too; I took them to other side of the mountain."

He mentioned it casually, but Bruce knew the other side of the mountain was far away from there, a day of walk at least, even with a good sprint. It unsettled him to realise that Clark had put out the fire and took the guards away various miles, in just a matter of minutes, instantly, he felt the need to be more guarded around him. Therefore, slowly and with a feline grace, he put himself between Clark and Diana, it was a subtle move, almost imperceptible, but Clark noticed it.

"I did not hurt the guards, I even left them tied up. I guess it will take them a while to get back here, and that will gave them time to reflect in what they had done," said Clark seriously.

"Time to reflect?", said Diana outraged, "They are murders and tortures Kal, they hurt innocent people here!"

"They were obeying orders," replied Clark.

"That is not an excuse," replied Bruce in a cold and harsh voice.

"You are both right, I will personally bring them to justice, but for now I think is better that they are miles away from here, would you at least agree on that?"

Bruce did not answer, and Diana just nodded.

"My lasso will hold them there, they are not going to escape," said Diana trying to conciliate.

"And how long it will hold?" asked Bruce.

"Forever, if I command it," said Diana with a mix of pride and resolution.

"That is not an acceptable solution. Princess, you need your lasso," said Bruce in a flat tone, but Diana could tell somehow his words hid a hint of concern.

"I can go and get it back to you, after all it was my idea to left them on the other side of the mountain, tided up" said Clark.

"Kal you cannot do that. My lasso was forge by Hephaestus, only I can untie it," said Diana.

"What about this? I can take you with me to the place where I left the guards, you can untied your lasso, while I watched over them and after that I will tied up with another rope, that way none of them will escape," said Clark again.

Bruce was about to protest, but Diana interjected.

"Is a great idea! We can run there," she said, and Bruce felt like she embraced the idea too enthusiastically and he did not like it.

"I will take you flying, we will be there and back in no time," said Clark, and Bruce though he sounded too eager to take her for a flying trip, he immediately curled his fingers.

"I do not know…" Diana had never fly and least of all with a man, and although she like Clark enough to consider him trust worthy, she was not sure if this was the way an Amazon would behave.

"Princess, if you do not feel like it, you do not have to do it," said the dark knight in a low almost sweet voice. She flitched, because that tone of voice was so foreigner to the way he usually growled at her, and yet there was something familiar about it, she could not place exactly what it was, but she was sure about one thing: The dark knight intrigued her more than any other human being she had met before.

"Come on, fly is easy," said Clark with a smile, "Or are you afraid of flying Diana?" he asked with genuine concern. Bruce knew those were the magic words, and internally cursed the kryptonian for saying them; an Amazon never backs from a dare, he thought.

"I will fly with you," said Diana adjusting her sword to his belt.

"Great, now hold me tight and do not let go," said Clark while gently embracing Diana, she looked uncomfortable into Bruce's eyes, but he knew she was too proud, and she will endure whatever shortcomings the fly could have.

Bruce saw helplessly how Diana and Clark locked in tight embrace and disappeared in the air of the night. He looked around, and saw himself alone in the middle of the ashes of the destroyed village. He was thinking of getting back to his pavilion and sent a note to Lucius to help the villagers out, but he could not do it, he could only look into the sky, waiting for Diana and Clark to come back at any moment. Absent-minded he took a piece of wood and started to play with it in his hand.

"Not because you keep staring at the sky, they are going to return faster Gotham Prince," said a red hair woman, which seem to materialised from thin air. Instantly Bruce took a deeper cover in the shadows, and went for the hilt of his sword. "Yes, I know who you are, although you hide behind that mask and in the shadows well," her voiced sounded laced with a patronizing tone and a hint of joy, as if she were telling a private joke, only he missed the fun on it.

"Jealousy is a bad advisor," she said and looked at him straight into the eyes, although he hid in the deep dark shadows. "You may try to denied it, but you had almost turned into splinters that piece of wood, while you waiting for Diana and the kryptonian to fly back."

Her words stunk like the sharp thorns. Bruce felt sick, and was about to leave, when he heard her whispering in his ear.

"You cannot lie to me, I saw the way you look at her when you think nobody is watching, you are in trance and the corners of your mount twitch into the ghost of a smile when you talk to her. Moreover, when she is fighting, you are always next to her, ready to take whatever or whoever may hurt her, even though she is stronger, and faster than a small army of men," said the woman defiant.

"Who are you?," asked Bruce livid.

"I'm Eris," said the woman and continued her rant amused, "Did you know Diana is the daughter of Hades? She is a demigod, and as you know the prince of Krypyon has the powers of a god too…I'm not surprised they became friends so fast. They even look-alike," mentioned Eris casually, letting her words hit Bruce's soul like heavy bricks, "A piece of advise Prince of Gotham: do not interfere with destiny," she concluded cryptically and vanished in the air.

* * *

Eris appeared in the middle of the large room of arms, where Ares was inside the Wayne's' castle.

"What are you doing here?", asked Ares surprised.

"I have a message for you from father."

"Why he did not send Hermes?" asked Ares suspicious of her sister.

"He had Hermes doing other errands, and besides, I volunteered."

"That I'm not surprised."

"I would not let you monopolized all the fun! Here I can strife many warriors and get to enjoy a good battle, what else could I ask for?"

"What is father's message?"

"Father wants the three selected champions to be deliver to him, by the end of the week."

"That only leaves me three days!"

"You know father, he is getting anxious, specially now with the latest Apollo's vision. He saw the enemy coming."

"And do we know the name of this mysterious enemy?"

"We only know he has red eyes, but he saw you facing him."

"Me?"

"Yes, he saw you discussing with him."

"Odd."

"Yes, very odd, but another reason for me being here."

"To watch over me," said Ares as matter of fact, he knew his father's old paranoia must have increased.

"You are still very clever," said the red-haired beauty with a devilish smile.

"Do not provoke me, Eris," warned Ares, his temper flicking.

"I do not dream about it brother, but sometimes you are so easy to read. My mission is to make sure you deliver the champions …but you know me, I love having fun, and, I cannot pass the opportunity to strife three good spirited souls," she said with a wicked smile, and Ares eyes lighted up.


	20. Deceived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana, Clark and Bruce find themselves inside a maze

When Diana and Kal returned to the woods, from their fast trip to the other side of the mountains, they did not find any sign of the dark knight.

"Do not worry, I'm sure he is fine," said Kal automatically, but his words sounded hollow to Diana, who feared the worst.

"How do you know that Kal?," she asked upset, "We fought against dozens of guards, maybe some of them escaped and captured him…he could be there in the dark, torture or wounded… we need to find him," Diana concluded and almost jumped to the darkest part of the woods.

Kal could not bear to see Diana so distress, something inside him broke when he saw her like that. He really liked her, although, in a very different way than Lois, but equally intense.

"I can scan the woods fast if you want. Wait for me here", he said commanding.

Kal flew low and within minutes he scanned the woods; in there he thought to see the silhouette of a man. He landed near to him, and wondered how could someone hide so well, if not for his x-Ray vision he had never saw Bruce; he was standing there still as a statue in the deep part of the woods, where everything was so dark it looked like door into an abyss.

"Bruce, are you okay?"

"What do you want Clark?"

Kal, left a sigh in visible relief, and said, "We were worried about you."

"We?"

"Diana and I."

Clark's answer only managed to upset more Bruce, who was still convulse by the words of Eris.

"How did you find me?," Bruce asked almost as a growl.

"I can see through the objects, I saw a shadow of a man and I thought it may be you."

"Another gift from your god I presume," said Bruce with sarcasm.

"Yes," he answered almost apologetically, "Would you like me to give you a lift?"

"No thanks, I rather get back to the camp by my own means."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Ok, if you need any help, just call me and I will be back at you in no time," offered Clark.

"Sure."

"Are you positive you are fine? You sound different, and the woods are still dangerous."

"I do not know what you are talking about. And as for these woods, I know them well, these are my lands," said Bruce in an almost defiant way.

"Of course, for a moment I forgot about that," said Clark with earnest.

"Don't," he sounded deadpan, but there was a certain menace in his tone, that made Clark shivered.

"And Clark, do not tell Diana about my true identity," ordered Bruce more than asked.

"Why?," replied Clark.

"I do not want her to know," said Bruce, while he thought, ' _not yet, and certainly not by you._ '

"Do you think she would treat you different?" asked Clark puzzled by the request," You do not know her," he concluded with a smile, that faded when he looked at Bruce's livid expression. Even in the pitch black of the night, Clark could see Bruce was furious, although he did not know why.

"Neither do you," replied Bruce offended.

"I do not understand your reasons, but I will respect them. However, she is more intelligent that you give her credit for, she will find out", concluded Clark and then took off.

"I know", replied Bruce in a very low whisper.

When Kal returned to Diana, he founded her pacing nervously. She ran to him as soon as she saw him, "Did you find him, is he alright?" asked Diana, anxiously.

"He is fine, already on his way to the camp."

"Alone?," asked Diana with disbelief, " is late and the woods are dark."

"He knows this lands well, trust me," said Kal, but he felt uncomfortable to see the visible state of worry from Diana, he felt weary about her concern for Bruce, "Why are you so concern for him?"

Diana was surprised by Clark questions his usually calm disposition seem gone, and he looked too inquisitive for her likening, also the question in itself upset her, maybe because she herself did not know why the dark Knight seem to matter so much to her.

"He is formidable ally, and I would hate to see him wounded."

"Right," said Kal with a hint of disbelieve. Noticing the sudden tension between them, he decided to change the subject, and smiled brightly at her, "Why don't you and I get back at the camp? You look tired...come, I give you a lift"

"Alright," said Diana with a faint smile, the idea of flying again appealed to her.

Kal put his arms around her brief waist and embrace her with delicacy. He surprised himself admiring how beautiful in the moonlight she looked, the warm feeling of her in his arms made him feel almost intoxicated, and he regretted his own speed when he saw how fast the moment faded, as they arrived to the camp soon.

Once in the camp Diana decided to go straight to the dark night's pavilion, she wanted to make sure if he was all right, but to her disappointment she only found Alfred on the tent. Nevertheless, she asked him to let the dark knight know they were thankful for his help, and that they care about him, only after that, she left.

* * *

Diana arrived to her pavilion, escorted by Kal, only to find inside a very angry Artemis, who although, was relief to see Diana without a scratch, was still very displeased with her.

"Where have you been?," demanded Artemis as soon as she saw her.

"I told you I needed to be alone."

"Alone? I saw you Diana, walking around with that man in blue armour."

"His name is Kal-El"

"Whatever. He is a man, and as such all of them are despicable."

"Artemis, not all men are like that, some care about others and go through great lengths to help them".

"I seriously doubt it, even if they are helpful is because they have a hidden agenda."

"That is not true, for instance tonight I fought alongside two great warriors, and we manage to help the people in the village.

"Two great warriors? I guess you mean the kryptonian who walk with you here, but where is this other "warrior"?"

"He disappeared."

"Disappear or retreat? The way of the cowards," said Artemis with contempt, "Don't you see princess? All men are cowards and brute."

"You do not understand, that is not the way the things happened."

"Actions speak louder than words. If he retreated, he is a coward. As for the other, he is a brute, I saw him fighting and I can tell he is very strong and powerful, so for him to be able to help is nothing, a condescend act for a "supreme" being; the actions of an arrogant man trying to impress a young naïve Amazon. You should be better than that Diana, you should be able to see the truth behind those actions, and if not, use your lasso, purge yourself of their lies."

Diana looked at Artemis with sadness and decided not to argue with her anymore, she just nodded and retreat to her pavilion.

She tried to get some sleep, but the events of the night keep repeating on her mind, she could not forget the steel-blue eyes from the dark knight. She tossed around in her bed, and after serious consideration, she decided not to ignore the words of Artemis. Hesitantly, she wrapped herself in her lasso, asking for the truth.

A college of images appeared in her mind: the bright smile of Kal, and his eyes as blue as lakes of calm water and knew Kal was a genuine friend; she smiled at the idea. Then her mind immediately drifted to the dark knight, she saw him surrounded by the shadows, his steel-blue eyes sparkling in the dark, observing her with calculated attention. She looked into those eyes and found in them a deep sadness. Then the image of the dark knight started to become less dark, as if the shadows that surround him had lifted; also his iron mask started to fade, until there was just the naked face of a very attractive young man. Her eyes shut wide open and she could only whispered a name she had said too many times in her dreams: Bruce. For a moment, she though he was in front of her, so close she could reach out and touch his face, but when she blinked, the only thing in front of her was the emptiness and darkness of the night.

* * *

Bruce returned to the camp by using one of his shortcuts and found Alfred awake inside his pavilion waiting for him.

"Is everything alright Sir?"

"Alfred we need to send a note to Lucius. The people in the villages outside the woods were attacked, the survivors had taken refugee inside a cave in the forest but they need help, some of them are wounded, maybe some of Lucius' man can take them to the asylum my mother founded"

"Arkham?"

"Yes, in there they can have food, and shelter."

"I'm afraid that place is a prison now, master Bruce."

"What?!"

"The seneschal, turned the place into a prison, mostly for the people who opposes to his regime."

"I need to stop him, and recover my father's kingdom," said Bruce visibly frustrated.

"Master Bruce, you need to be careful. You cannot allow your feelings of vengeance and hate to cloud your mind."

"Alfred I'm in an impossible situation, where everything I try is pointless. I cannot take my kingdom back, because I am trap inside this stupid mask, and nobody would back up my claim until they see my face. And by now my face must be really scarred."

"I don't believe that is true Sir. You have to remember, Jalil was on our side, he switched the mask at the last-minute from the one the seneschal originally intended to put on you. Jalil hold the key of the mask you are wearing, but when he died, the key was lost. We only need to find a way to remove the mask so you can claim back Gotham."

"I wish it were that simple Alfred… the damage that the seneschal inflicted in my people will not vanish soon, and to make matters worst most of the gothamities despise me, they think I'm a coward because I left them alone with him."

"Master Bruce do not be so hard on yourself, you were just a kid when you left, and now you are a young man, a man who has prepared to be good king…the king Gotham needs"

"I wish I have your faith old man," said Bruce with a sad smirk.

"I'm not the only one who has faith in you, o who cares about your well-being, for instance, Princess Diana is also concerned about you. She was here a couple of moments ago, asking for you. She wanted to see you, and she looked worried."

"Was she alone?"

"No, she was with master Kent."

"Of course she was," replied with sarcasm Bruce.

"You need to rest," suggested Alfred seeing the fragile state of mind of his master, "In the morning you will see the things clearer."

As tired as he was, he could not sleep and could not get Diana out of his mind. Exhausted of fighting against himself, he decided to go for another walk, to feel the breeze of the night, and as if his legs had a will of his own, soon he was outside Diana's pavilion. He decided to take a quick glance at her, and slide into her chamber; hidden in the shadows, he saw how delicately she put her lasso around her brief waist; she closed her eyes and looked so concentrated, he thought she could never detected his presence. He venture to stay near to her, almost inches from her face, and tried very hard to avoid touching her. For a moment, time was inconsequential, he was in trance contemplating her; trying to memorize each line of her beautiful face. Then he saw her smiling, and as a reflex, he smiled back; but when she furrowed her brow, her eyes went wide open. Her gaze was still glassy, but her hand went up trying to reach him, finally he saw her perfect lips parted and he heard a sound he feared and desire for too long, because he knew the minute he heard it, he will be lost, willing to do anything to hear her pronounce his name again.

For a moment, he was taken aback, his heart skipped a beat when he heard her. But his own instinct made him immediately retreated to the shadows, he ran into the safety of the nearby woods. It was only then, when he let out a breath he did not know was holding. For years, he dreamt to see her again, to be near to her as he was now, but 'oh! Sweet irony' everything had turned into a nightmare. He was indeed so close to her he could touch her, but at the same time, she could not recognize him, because of the stupid iron mask, he was wearing. He curled his finger into fist, and hit hard the tree, he was so angry and frustrated, but then decided to focus on the one thing in his life that was certain: he was going to fight for Gotham and to claim his kingdom back.

* * *

The heralds make their trumpets sound too soon and loud for Bruce likening. The sun was high, and the remaining champions were already inside the arena, he searched for the shadows to take cover; and from there, he observed her. She was as bright as the sun, her armour spotless, and by her side, was Clark again, a touch of jealousy stung in the pit of his stomach when he saw that. Both of them smiled and walked to greet him, just when the voice of Ares resounded in the entire arena.

"Good morning! Today, I decided to stir the things a little, to make this contest more interesting, so there is a change in the rules; the next challenge is the last. The first three to survive will be the champions of the tournament, and I will personally hold them their prize. The challenge is simple: You have three hours to find the exit of the maze I constructed, and believe me, you will wish to find the way out sooner," he said, and his mouth twisted into a wicked smile.

Immediately, tall walls started to emerge from the ground, surrounding the contestants, and soon, Diana, Bruce and Clark were in a different path, each one separated from the other by large and thick walls.

* * *

Clark, smiled at the challenge, even though, a fine green powder started to rain over him. He thought nothing about it, and was optimistic he will overcome the test fast. He decided the best course of action was to fly above the maze, and see the exit. However, when he tried to fly, his legs refused to move from the ground, as if they were rooted to the ground, and he felt so tired, he had to lean-to a wall, it was then he noticed a green glow that sparkled in all the walls. His breath started to become more uneven, as if the air was as heavy as lead, with a supreme effort, he started to walked away, but for his usual speed he was too slow, then he realized the ground was becoming more muddy and soon he was in the middle of quick sands. For a moment it looked like, everything that surrounded had that hideous green sparkle. The quick sands were slowly devouring him, and the faster he tried to move, the deep he was going down. His strength was quickly fading and a dizziness and a short of breath started to invade him.

* * *

Bruce observed the labyrinth in front of him and decided it was a trap, his path was so dark, he barely could see what was in front of him, but he could heard the sound of wings flipping. He instantly knew what that sound meant, it was the source of his first nightmares before his parents were murder, before his life changed forever. He used to fear that sound, long ago when he was a child, but he was not a kid anymore. As a dark shadow a bat's swarm surrounded him, enveloping in a deep darkness, biting and scratching him with their fangs and claws; he covered himself with his cape and as an instinct he hold tightly the coat of arms, Diana gave to him, so many years ago, suddenly the bats stop prickling and biting and just envelop him like a dark cloud of wings. He noticed the change and welcomed it, although he distrusted the animal's reaction.

* * *

Diana had no time to waste, she took if her lasso and tried to find some surface to tied it up, but in her path there were just plain walls with a surface so smooth there was not even a single edge. Frustrated she decided to go forward carefully not to take a misstep, but then a harsh sound made her turned and she saw with horror a giant stone ball fast approaching her direction.

* * *

Ares knew his trap was set in place, and pleased with himself he returned to the rooms of arms inside Wayne's castle, with Eris following close behind, once they were alone she regarded at Ares with a disappointed expression.

"What?," asked Ares impatient by seeing her following him.

"I thought your final test would be more deadly or complicated brother... A maze seems...lame, specially when you have among the contestants : one who already faced a maze as complicated as this and manage to get out of it alive, other who can fly, and other who is extremely intelligent, they are going to find their way out soon."

" I'm counting on that."

"Why? I thought this was a competition."

"I have a little surprise for them. Now I need to take care of other things, would you mind to leave me alone?"

"Father instructed me to keep an eye on you," said Eris almost putting.

"I'm not going anywhere," replied Ares, in a voice that admitted not reply.

Reluctantly Eris left, and once alone in the room, from the deepest and darkest corner of the spacious chamber, appeared a bright point of light that soon grow large and larger, until it was wide enough for a man to fit in, it looked like a tunnel of light, and from it emerged the tall and broad figure of Darkseid.

"Ares, finally we met."

" Darkseid," replied Ares just nodding, "My father suspects something."

" Your father has always been a paranoid," said Darkseid while waiving his large stone hand in a dismissive sign, "We need to play with that. Besides, you should be happy... your trap is already in place, and the 'champions' you feared the most, are going to disappear. I must confess I'm excited about the idea, I have big plans for two of them."

"I do not care what you do, just make sure they do not come back."

" You are as paranoid as your father", replied Darkseid with contempt, but then his face distorted into a malicious smile, " Why are you so scared of three teenagers?"

"Do not let their youth fool you, and besides, they are coming of age soon… The three of them represent a threat for me and my allies, and of course there is the prophecy."

At that last statement, from Ares, Darkseid laugh hard with cruelty. Ares was furious, his hand went for the hilt of his sword, but Darkseid was faster, he simply throw an omega bean at him and his sword when out of his belt and into the floor.

"You sure are fun," Darkseid replied, and kicked Ares' dark sword far away from him, "I never took you for superstitious…. Would you believe if I told you that the prophecy is a lie?... a distraction, for your father and the other gods, a way to made them fight against each other…of course, I must admit I underestimated Rao, I never thought he could see between the smoke and mirrors, however, in doing so he gave me a great gift."

"What gift?"

"Soon you will find out."

 


	21. The lost days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana and Bruce find themselves in a strange land, and make a powerful ally

Surrounded by the darkness, he climbed the wall; but the higher he ascended, the deep the darkness became, it was unnatural, and that did not make the things easier, but eventually after what look as an eternity to Bruce, he managed to reach the end of that tall wall. The edge was so crooked and misshaped, it took only one miscalculation for him to slip, yet swiftly, before he felt into the emptiness, he launched a grapple, stopping his fall before reaching the ground.

Dangling away from the floor but still dangerously close to the raspy wall, he saw from the distance a glimpse of Clark's blue armour and him almost drowning, in the middle of green quick sands. Bruce landed on the floor with feline grace, and sprinted to help Clark; he took his hand and started to pull until he had him out of that dreadful pond.

"Thank you Bruce," said Clark almost breathlessly, he was pale and completely disheveled, "I do not know what happen, and I have never felt so weak; it must be this hideous green powder. It has poured over me from the start," he continued trying to justify his weakness, and still leaning on the wall, with his right hand over his stomach, "We need to get out of here before you get sick too!"

Bruce reflected on that; he was completely covered in green powder; however, he did not feel more exhausted or sick. Clark on the other hand, looked fragile and for a moment, Bruce thought he was about to faint. He decided to take a sample of the green powder and the quicksand, to study them later. He needed to know what kind of substance could make one of the most powerful beings he had ever seen, felt on his knees so fast.

"What are you doing?" asked Clark, astonished to see Bruce subtracted two small bottles from his utility belt.

"Collecting samples for later study. I need to understand why this weakens you," replied Bruce, while he put away the bottles, and started to walk away.

"Does this thing does not make you feel sick?" asked Clark in disbelieve.

"No."

"I guess that makes me the weak link here then," said Clark frustrated tossing his hands to the air, the idea made him feel angry with himself. Then he remembered Ares' words, "I guess each path is tailor to exploit each contest weakness," he reflected, and then said almost in a whisper, "I only hope Diana is doing better than me."

At the mention of her name, Bruce stopped his track. The idea of her, endangered just across the wall, upset him deeply, he made a fist with his fingers and started to sprint, carefully avoiding to step on the quicksand, with Clark following suit in a slower pace. He was about to urge Clark to hurry up, when a strange sound and a blinding light, caught his attention: just a few feet away from them, floated a small luminous sphere, which grow so fast in front of their eyes, that soon it reached the size of large house. The sphere opened, and from the inside it poured hundreds of large humanoid creatures that looked like a crossed between frogs and flies, muscular and with red vigilant eyes. Much to Bruce and Clark's astonishment, they started to fly away, and like a dark cloud, they covered the sun.

One of them, spotted Bruce and Clark, and attacked them, like a rabid animal, but Bruce took out his sword and in a quick movement cut its claws. However, even without hands, the creature jumped over them, going after Clark, trying to biting him in the neck, Clark was exhausted, but he put a fight against the creature, who started to scream in a high pitch and soon, the other beings surrounded them. Bruce felt their claws piercing his armour, biting and hitting him.

He used his sword, and cut them in the knees, but by the corner of his eyes, he saw how a couple of creatures were dragging the limp body of Clark into the luminous sphere, he wanted to go after him, but Suddenly, he felt a jolt of pain on his neck. At the same time, the creatures, stopped fighting against him, but in contrast, his body started to tremble uncontrollably, and he have to hang to his sword with all his forces, so he could not let it slip away, however, he was shaking so hard he eventually collapsed to the floor. The creatures surrounded him, looking at him with his listless red eyes, as if they were waiting for something; then his tremors stopped, however, now all his limbs were immovable, easily, the creatures pick him up, and carried him away into the sphere of light.

Once in the sphere, the light enveloped him, and he had to close his eyes to avoid the immense luminescence to blind him. When he opened them again, he was not longer in the labyrinth, but inside a dark large chamber, where the only source of light came from a series of fire pits that went on and off intermittently. He saw frantic movement in the place, and hundreds of creatures like ones who captured him, working around like a hive of bees. The beasts that carried him, got out of the chamber and started to walk through a series of halls poorly lighted. Soon, Bruce was hit with a fetid smell; so putrid he had to refrain from vomit. At the same time, he saw dark river. The creatures stopped and tossed him into the air; he hit the surface of turbulent water, and sank fast as his armour, sword and utility belt made him heavy.

His mind was reeling on something to do, as the precious minutes seemed to flee. Then in the middle of the turbulent waters, he felt how something tangled around his legs, and next thing he knew he felt a sharp bite, that ripped his armour and pierced his skin, an electric current passed through his body, sending waves to his brain of flashing pain. Incredibly, the electricity helped to wake up his previously immovable muscles, with the last of his forces, he swam, barely hanging to his last breath, and broke the surface and the air although still fetid, was the precious life he needed.

He look around and realised he was in a dark gutter, he tried to swim to a shore but there was non-near him, it was as if he was in the middle of an ocean of dark waters, in a starless sky. The pain from the bite started to radiate at the same time the flow was getting stronger. He stumbled with a piece of wood that was floating near him, and decided to hold on to it. He drifted through the stinky river; almost drawing in a couple of whirlpools that appeared to be around every corner of those waters. Eventually he reached a bay. He got aground there, exhausted, he closed his eyes, and in that moment, he heard her voice, not as the usual soothing whisper, but as cry for help. He wake up with a stir, only to see in front of him a pair gigantic yellow eyes, with a vertical dark pupil, in front of him.

Although, the eyes were similar to a cat, the creature, a couple of inches from his face were anything but. His instinct kicked in, as he felt its heavy warm and reek breathing above him.

"What do we have here? " said the creature in a low voice that resounded all over the place, echoing in all the walls, " A new visitor...Is been too long since someone visit me. Let me welcome you as you deserved," he said and then a glow started to illuminate the before obscure chamber.

Bruce was stagger, the glow allow him to see the immensity of the place, the large vaults that extended as far as he could see, with intricate ramifications of tunnels around. Nevertheless, what surprised him the most, was the creature in itself, because he was beholding a large red dragon, of scaly skin and wide wings, just a few feet away from him.

* * *

 

**Hypherion**

Long time ago, the so-called first gods were beings of enormous power, with cultural and scientific refinement yet, they were also very proud and distrustful of each other, which made them an easy targeted for someone as clever as Darkseid, who manipulated them against each other and witness in the shadows their destruction in an epic war. The Old Gods were long believed to be dead and gone, but some of them survived, among them was Hypherion, who used to be the youngest of them. Hypherion despised cowards and was famous for punished them with intensity, however, when the war among the Old gods broke, he tried to maintain the fragile peace. His actions were rendered as cowardly by the Nameless One, the first of the old gods, who condemned him to be trapped inside the Black Ways, a territory in the deeps of Apokolips, as a mindless being.

Hypherion managed to avoid part of that destiny by transforming himself into a dragon, so he could keep his conscience, but in return, he was lock for an eternity in the Black Ways, a labyrinth of tunnels in the deeps of Apokolips, which was both his domain and prison.

Now after centuries of roaming aimlessly trough the tunnels, he was bitter and frustrated; he crushed anyone who dared to enter his domain. Usually, Darkseid sent to the Black Ways those who crossed him. The irony was not lost to Hypherion, he, who despise cowardly, was now condemned to kill those who were brave enough to stand against Darkseid. However, in the last years, the tunnels have been quiet, he had not received any "visitor" in a decade. Usually, and much to his own disappointment, most of those who arrived at the black walls, were already broken, a shallow shell of their former self, and many, committed suicide as soon as they arrived, other simply offered little resistance. Now in front of him, was this boy, a young mortal, dressed in black armour, with his face covered with the mask of a bat, wounded but still willing to make a stand.

Observing him, Hypherion decided to test him, spitting fire over him, and was surprised, because the young man moved with agility and wield his sword at him, even though he was wounded. The gesture made Hypherion smiled, and then the man in a dark armour, throw a little pebble at his feet, and his eyes were hurt by a dense smoke, when Hypherion opened his eyes again the man in the dark armour had disappear.

"It seems there is more to you than meet the eye… but you cannot hide. These are my domains and you are an intruder here," said Hypherion while his eyes look around the place.

"Then show me the way out and I would gladly leave you alone," replied Bruce from one point of the tunnels.

The dragon smiled, "The only way out is dead," he said and breathing fire in that direction, waiting to hear a loud scream from the mortal as a result of his fire, but instead Hypherion heard the voice of the man in the dark armour from a different point of the tunnel.

"That is not an option for me," replied Bruce.

"There is not way out of this labyrinth, and even if it is, it will only lead to the Apokolips," The dragon said and proceeded to emit fire again.

"Apokolips?" replied Bruce, who almost got burn, distracted by the fact that he was in a place he had never heard before.

"Yes, mortal child, you are in Apokolips, far away from Earth. I had my fun with you, so I will be merciful and give you a quick dead, "said Hypherion and started to inhale to exhale so much fire that all the tunnels lighted, as a big explosion, but the man in the dark armour was already gone. Hypherion knew he had not been burned, however, he sniff around, and found his faint scent in one of the large tunnels. He grinned, this was his first hunting in centuries, and he certainly was going to enjoy it.

Bruce ran and swim, barely managing to elude the blazing flames from the dragon, soon he was inside one of the large tunnels, following that path because his instincts were screaming at him that was the right way to go, although everything looked the same. He was exhausted, but there was a driving force inside him that made him keep going, it was the feeling that she was near, and in danger,the sole idea that she could be hurt, was enough to make him keep going even though, his legs were about to give up.

* * *

 

**Diana**

She ran, but as fast as she was, one giant stone came after another as if they have a will of their own. She out run a couple of them, but it was only she turn around a left corner when three large stone balls came fast in her direction. She got ready for the hit, shovelling her sword in the hope to make one of those deadly spheres break. However, to her astonishment when the balls crashed instead of an impact she was engulf in a bright light, so white it was blinding and she had to close her eyes. Something like a wave hit her and time became liquid, she felt like drifting in the ocean, weightless, and when she opened her eyes, it was as if she had crash harder into an iron shore. She found herself trapped inside a crystal chamber without her sword or lasso, and with shackles around her ankles. A strange woman, of grey hair, and a wrinkled face was observing her from the other end of the crystal chamber with a cruel look in her eyes and a wicked smile. Diana felt like an animal ready to be dissected, but she did not flinch, and with determination, she tried to get out of the shackles.

"You can pull and toss around all you want you will never get out of those shackles," expressed the woman leaning close to the crystal that separate them.

Diana just grit her teeth and did not say a word, but kept pulling the shackles until one of them got loose, much to the older woman astonishment. She squint at Diana, never ranking her eyes of her, and went at the edge of the crystal chamber, where there was a lever.

"Your metahuman force and abilities are as advertised, let's see what else you are capable of, " said the old woman while pulling the lever down. Immediately a hot and sticky substance started to pour inside Diana's crystal chamber.

"After a couple of immersions in the lava mud you will be as docile as a kitten, no worries, the mud will not leave you any scars, your skin will be as beautiful as now, but besides that, every other sensation will be the same as if you were bathing in lava. A marvellous invention," said the old woman, almost happily.

The lava mud kept pouring into the cell, Diana looked around trying to find a way out, and saw a small grid, up in the ceiling. The ceiling was high, and to reach it, she will need to get some impulse, however the floor, was now totally covered in lava mud and soon she felt the burning incandescent sensation on her feet, enduring the pain she jumped as high as she could, breaking lose from the last shackle. She grasped the grid and started to pull it down until it broke, and with agility, she passed through the small hole.

The old woman outside the chamber was livid, especially when a tall woman clad in a black suit and white straps approached her.

"Where is the prisoner?," she asked alarmed, "if she escaped Darkseid will get mad."

"He will not. This little adventure of her, would only make things interesting, she is in Apokolips, with no friend or no refugee, the planet is her prison now," replied the old woman, smiling with malice, "Go with the Furies and find her. She is not far away, also spread the word among the hunger dogs, if they bring her to me alive and well, I will give the a reward."

"What kind of reward?" asked the woman in black and her eyes glow with ambitious light.

"One to die for, Lashina."

* * *

 

Diana was in the middle of a wasteland, with immense fire pits that sent dense clouds of smoke into an already dark sky. All over the place were monstrous metallic structures, that look like sentinels. She tried to remain unnoticed hiding in the shadows, but, soon she heard the sound of wings approaching.

"She must be near! Be careful not to kill her, granny goodness wants her alive!"

She had a glimpse of the creatures behind those voices, and found a group of beasts of humanoid form, with wings and large red eyes; a couple of them were flying in circles over her head. One of them discovered her, and dragged her out, but Diana was strong, and offered resistance, hitting the creature hard, they engrossed in a nasty fight. The beast size her and started to take off flying with her, Diana managed to get free from him but she fall inside one of the tubes near the fire pit with a piece of something like a belt the beast was wearing, tangled in her arm. She went down into the darkness, descending fast and, eventually crashing into the ground, hurting her legs with the fall.

The place where she landed was dark, cold and damped, with a fetid smell, the floor was covered in ashes and bones.

Bruce saw movement at the end of the tunnel, and carefully approached the place, hidden in the shadows and wrapped in his cape. Then he distinguished her golden armour and relief washed over him, he walked with determination to meet her; and saw her covered in dirt, and holding a large bone.

"Get away from me demon!", she yelled in a menacing tone, wielding the large bone as if it were a sword.

"I have been call many things, but that is a new one," Bruce smirked, at same time he got closer to her with his hands in the air.

"Dark knight?", asked Diana with a hint of hope in her voice.

"Princess," he said, offering his open hand to her, she hesitated, but once he was closer, she dropped the bone, he took her elbow trying to help her to get up, but she winced, and he noticed with worry the large scratches in her legs, and the odd position in which she was standing.

"You broke your ankle", he said, in a deadpan voice trying to hide his concern.

"I heal fast", replied Diana standing up straight," but you have a nasty cut in your tight."

"It's nothing", he mentioned, hiding with his cape the large gash on his leg.

"It does not look like that," Diana smiled at him, trying to take a better look at his wound but as she moved, it was obvious to Bruce she was not in good shape. He held her by the elbow. In that moment, they heard a loud roar.

"What is that sound?," asked Diana getting ready for battle.

Bruce did not answer her. He knew the dragon was close, and he wanted nothing but to get her out of that place, that looked as a deadly trap, "Can you walk?," he asked her with haste.

"Sure," replied Diana, without hesitation but she knew it would be impossible for her to run fast. Bruce held her by the waist almost carrying her around, holding her with an iron grip. Strangely, his touch made her felt instantly more calm and secure.

"Where are we?" she asked confused by the sudden hurry of the dark knight, who was almost dragging her.

"We are at Apokolips."

"Apokolips?"

"I will tell you all I know about this place later, but now we have to go," Bruce ordered more than asked, but then he felt the warm breathing of the dragon at his back, and knew it was too late.

"What do we have here?... Another visitor! This must be my lucky day," said the dragon, flying above them and then blocking their path.

Bruce immediately put himself between Diana and the dragon, taking out his sword, wielding it in a defence stage.

"Mortal child, have you learn nothing?, your sword is useless against me," said the dragon, which chest started to glow.

"Diana run!," screamed Bruce getting ready for the dragon's blow.

"No!" she shout and with agility despise her wounds, she kneeled in front of the dragon, "My lord, forgive us we did not mean to intrude your home."

Hypherion smiled, squinting his eyes and stop inhaling.

"I thought I had forgotten but...I still can recognize my own kind…You are an immortal, get up let me see you," he said encircling her.

"Princess wait!", said Bruce wielding his sword again, but Diana extended her hand to stop him.

She got up, enduring her pain and trying to reduce her limping.

"A demigoddess… I can see the glow on your skin, and your armour has all the traces of the gods."

The statement surprised Bruce, he knew Diana was special, but he had never imagined that she had a divine heritage.

"Who send you?, is this a trap from Darkseid to finally kill me?" asked Hypherion livid, with a menacing look in his eyes.

"My Lord, we mean no harm," replied Diana with stern, looking directly into the dragon's eyes. Hypherion's face was just inches away from Diana's nose, and that made Bruce nervous, he held the hilt of his sword harder, ready to make a deadly blow, but then the dragon got away.

"You are telling the truth…" concluded Hypherion surprised.

"My Lord, we are stranded in this place, if you would be so kind to point us a way out."

"Come," said Hypherion and walked away.

Diana started to walk, nearly limping, and Bruce followed suit, but Hypherion stopped and turned his head looking straight at Bruce, "Not you," said the dragon.

Bruce did not say a word, but he squeezed the hilt of his sword harder. Thinking he certainly was not going to leave Diana alone with the dragon.

"My Lord I will not go without him," said Diana with determination, stopping her tracks.

Hyperion looked at her taken aback "Why?, he is an insignificant mortal," stated the old god, unable to comprehend Diana's reaction.

"No, he is not. He is a brave warrior," replied Diana defiant, her earlier humble demeanour completely gone.

"I'm offering you a way out of here. Apokolips is a tortuous place, where life is evil and dead the ultimate goal, but yet you refuse my help to stay with this mortal...Why?" asked Hypherion almost incensed.

" I would never abandon a partner in arms," said Diana with a steel look in her eyes.

"Even if it means you could be stranded here for all eternity?"

"I will find a way out," replied Diana, without moving any further.

Bruce saw with concern how the chest of the dragon was starting to glow, and fearing the worst, he interjected, "Princess is fine. I have been in worst situations, I will survive."

"No! I will not leave you and that is not up to discussion," answered Diana commanding and livid because of his wiliness to sacrifice. She turned her head facing the dragon, and then said loud and clear, "My lord if that is the condition, I'm afraid I cannot accept your help."

"You know as a mortal, his chance of survival here is the minimum. The best option for him is quick dead."

"He is a formidable warrior, I trust him. Together, we will find a way," replied Diana without hesitation.

"You are brave girl... but too caring, I wonder if he knows how much you are risking for him," replied Hypherion looking at Bruce sideways.

Bruce felt his blood boiling; he wanted Diana to be safe, even if it meant not seeing her again. Therefore, he took a step forward, looking directly at Hyperion.

"Take her out! I would stay here, as your prisoner or whatever you want, but keep her safe," said Bruce with determination, and with more feeling that he intented.

Diana turned her head to Bruce and look at him terribly offended, "I'm no man's property! if I want to stay, I will do that."

Hypherion smiled maliciously, as if he had discovered a dark secret, "Ok, he may come too."

* * *

 

Diana and Bruce walked behind the red dragon, she was still limping and although Bruce wanted to help her, it was obvious she was mad at him, and refuse to even looking at him; he did not care as long as she was safe, he was fine. They followed Hypherion for hours, through a series of dark tunnels, often damped and full of bones and ashes. Then they heard the sound of marching approaching in the distance.

"This is highly unusual. Darkseid's army is never here...quickly, hide in there," said Hypherion, pointing to an adjacent tunnel, while he flown to face the army straight ahead of them.

"So many visitors, good! Food had been scarce around here lately," said Hypherion with a wicked grin and showing his fangs menacing.

"Guardian, we need your help. We are looking for a fugitive, a woman of golden armour, have you seen her?," said one of the creatures. Apparently unresponsive to Hypherion threatening look.

"If I help you, what would I get in return?"

"Our lords gratitude"

"That is worthless"

"We need to find her alive, if you had eaten her…"

"What if I did?"

"Darkseid will be mad, he had plans for her," replied shocked one of the creatures.

"This is my domain, I can do whatever I please here. And now I wasted too much time talking with you," said Hypherion suddenly spitting fire over the creatures, who started to fly away, while some of them were burn.

Hypherion kept spitting fire over the creatures, until there was none of them alive. Only then, he returned to the tunnel were Bruce and Dian were hiding.

"They are gone, but more will come back," said Hypherion looking straight at Diana, "You caught Darkseid's attention, and that is never good. Come, we need to get out of here."

"Where are you leading us?," asked Diana concerned.

"To a safe place. You need to take care of your wounds, for instance, the mortal is bleeding and his reek will attract all the beasts in the tunnel, and you, cannot walk properly."

"I thought you were the only living being here," asked Diana, without addressing the comments about her wounds, as they kept walking after the dragon into the darkness.

"Hardly, there are many things here, all deadly."

"As you," commented Bruce.

"That is right, and you will do well to keep that in mind mortal," said Hypherion, who suddenly stopped, "Here, you can rest, I will light a bonfire, for you to get warm," he said addressing to Diana.

Hypherion breathe fire into small hole and the fire rise until it was gentle bonfire.

"Thank you My Lord," said Diana sincerely.

Hypherion merely grunted, "I'm tired, I will go to sleep for a while, you can do whatever you want but do not go wandering far from here," he said and disappeared in the darkness.

Diana tried to sit next the bonfire but the pain still irradiate from her broken ankle, now completely swollen, Bruce took her elbow and help her, and as she did not take her arm away, he concluded she was not longer angry at him.

"We need to take care of your wound," said Diana looking at him.

"I told you is nothing," answered Bruce dismissively.

"Give me your sword, we need to cauterised it," she demanded.

"Princess, a knight never gives up his sword," replied Bruce seriously.

"But you are not a knight, remember?" said Diana looking at him intensely. After moments of hesitation, he gave Diana his sword, and she put the blade into the fire waiting for it to heat up.

"This is such a beautiful sword, but it looks strangely familiar," she said analyzing the sword.

Bruce remained quiet but his heart was pounding, concerned that she will find out his identity.

"Yes, I definitely I have seen this sword before. Where did you get it?, " asked Diana,

"I believe the sword is already hot," he said and then in a swift movement he took it from her hands, then he put the burning blade on the gash of his thigh, gritting his teeth at the feeling of the blazing hot metal again his skin.

"Why did you do that?!," asked Diana upset, "I was going to inspect your wound."

"I'm fine. Now I will mend your ankle,"

"I told you I heal fast," said Diana sitting straight.

"Right, and that will be helpful, once you have your bone again in place," Bruce said almost scolding her, "here, bite this," he offered her the hilt of a dagger he carried with him.

"There is no need," said Diana calmly.

"Are you sure?, this is going to hurt."

"I know, just do it."

Gently Bruce took Diana's ankle between his hands and quickly put the bone in place, all that time, Diana never looked away from his eyes.

"You are good at this," she complimented him, and Bruce remembered a similar situation when they were kids.

"You need to rest. I will take the first watch," ordered Bruce.

"Are you always this bossy?" asked Diana arching her brow, never breaking eye contact with him.

"Only when you are around," he replied with a serious face, but with a hint of humour on his voice.

"A joke!," said Diana surprised, "I guess is a good sign you do not lose your sense of humour even under dire circumstances," she said smiling.

"Go to sleep princess," answered Bruce almost growling.

"All right, but don't forget to wake me up to do the second shift… I have just realised, that you have never told me your name," reflected Diana.

"Good night, princess" said Bruce turning his back at her.

Diana looked at his broad back disappointed; she knew it would be useless to pressure him to say something he did not want to share. So she decided to let it go for the moment.

"Good night," she said, and soon she was asleep.

Bruce waited until she was sound sleep to turn around, he found her curled into a ball in the cold ground. He took off his cape and covered her with it, watching her intently; she looked so beautiful, he venture to remove one of her black strains from her face, but then she stirred as if a bad dream were assaulting her.

"Bruce…", she said still asleep, but then she hold his hand tight and he froze, not knowing what to do, "Don't leave me," she said with anxiety.

"Never, princess," he answered with earnest, even though he knew she was dreaming.

"Would you stay with me?" asked Diana again with a hint of desperation in her voice, still talking in her sleep.

"As long as you want me," he replied in a tender whisper.

"Forever, then," she said smiling, still holding his hand.

He stood there, watching her sleep, and holding her hand, until she let his fingers go, and event then, he could not keep his eyes away from her.

"I knew you were a liar…you promised her something you would never fulfil… _Bruce_ ," reproached Hypherion; and Bruce went for he hilt of his sword, cursing himself for not noticing the dragon had returned.

"You are not going to live forever. You are a mortal who will die leaving her alone with sorrow, or who will eventually resent her, unable to handle her eternal youth and beauty, while you get old and weak," said Hypherion in a hiss condemned him.

"You know nothing about me," replied Bruce angry in a low growl.

"My dear boy… I have lived for centuries, I am a god, and I will be here when you become a particle of dust lost in time. I have seen many mortals in love with gods, and their stories have never ended well. Is better if you leave her now, in time, she will forget all about you. Moreover, you will get over your infatuation with her, mating with some other mortal, having mortal kids, and passing away. You will be an anecdote to her, and everything will remain, as it should be."

"Diana is not an infatuation!" Bruce said with cold anger.

"Do you love her?" asked Hypherion looking at him in the eyes. Bruce remained silent; his eyes cast away from Hypherion, he was glad for the darkness allow him some privacy from the probing look of the dragon.

"A love not confessed is the dead of the soul boy….I guess, you are not as brave as I thought, when you fear rejection," said Hypherion waiting for an angry reaction from Bruce, but instead, the dark knight stay quiet.

"Maybe is better this way, because my kind disapproves the relations between mortals and immortals, I do not know what they will do if they found out you love her, and if she ever loves you back… That will certainly be a problem," concluded Hypherion.


	22. Of gods and non belivers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana and Bruce escape from Apokolips but certain revelations will change their world.

* * *

 

The same nightmare assaulted her: Bruce covered in blood, only this time he was not a kid anymore, but a man, with a strange mask covering his face, as she tried to reach him, he kept going away, so she call him desperately, "Bruce!" Diana screamed, and in that instant she woke up with a stir, she was sweating and her breathing was heavy. She realized then, somebody was holding her in a brief embrace, and a pair of blue eyes, were looking at her, deeply concerned.

"Are you alright?" asked Bruce alarmed.

Ashamed, Diana got up in a swift movement, "Yes, sorry about that"

Even in the poor lighted tunnel, Bruce could see her ankle was already heal, but now he was more worried about her nightmares. Hypherion heard the screams and went where Diana was, only to find her already up and with Bruce at her side.

"Good, you are awake! ... Come we need to get going," said Hyperion.

Diana was prompt to follow him, when she realized her leg was tangle with a sort of belt from one of the hideous creatures.

"What is this? It must had come off from the creature when we fight," she was about to throw it away, when Hypherion noticed it.

"No! Bring that, is going to be useful, now come, we need to hurry."

They followed the dragon, in silence again for a long time, until they reached a place where the light passed trough a series of large grids, and the vaults were as a high as a tall cathedral, and yet they heard the sound of frantic movement in the ceiling above.

Diana stopped suddenly, "Where have you taken us?"

The dragon turned around looking at her as if it was an obvious thing, "to the core of Apokolips."

Bruce who until that moment had been in the rearguard, close the distance between himself and the dragon, "this place is full of those creatures," he said voicing his distrust in Hypherion.

"Parademons? Yes, but is the only way mortal."

Bruce grit his teeth, and Diana noticed the tension rising behind his cold exterior; she approached the dark knight, venturing to gentle touch his arm, she took him aside just a few feet away from Hypherion, "You must have faith."

Bruce looked at her livid, and even though he was only a few inches taller than she was, for a moment it looked as if he was towering Diana, "In him?... He is a pariah," he replied with contempt.

She put her chin up and looked at him straight into the eyes, "he is a god, and had chosen to help us. We would be fine."

"You put too much faith in this… flicker being... He is very volatile ... And this is the perfect place for a trap," Bruce mentioned looking sideways to Hypherion.

"I have faith in my gods but I also have faith in you," she said with earnest. For a reason she did not know, she felt at ease with him, as if he were a long time dear friend and when she looked at his steel blue eyes, she could see such an immense sadness behind his anger, that she wanted nothing but to ease the pain. Except now, she needed to make him see this was their only way out, so Diana said firmly, "I fight along you and I know that together we will find a way out of here. Now, would you trust me on this?"

"I trust you with my life, princess," he replied looking at her with his steel blue eyes, and for a moment, his look was the warmest she had ever seen, a glimpse of another man, more affectionate and human.

"Thank you," she replied smiling, and Bruce's heart beat harder, although, his face was still inscrutable. He realised in that moment, that as hard as he tried to hide it, she held his soul and he could swim oceans just to see her smile again. Inadvertently he closed the distance between them, whishing to touch her, but in the end, he refrained from moving further.

Hypherion watched the conversation amused, interjecting at them, "now that you decided to cooperate," said the dragon with sarcasm looking at Bruce, "here is the plan: that thing Diana was about to throw away is a boom box, think of it as a key that will open a portal to earth. Now, for the boom box to function properly, you will need to put it inside a large white machine, that looks as an enormous honeycomb, just leave it there inside one of the cells for a few minutes and wait, until a green light appears in the front of the little box. Then pick it up and press the silver bottom on its side and soon you will be on earth."

Bruce listen the instructions carefully and completely still, but was unconvinced of the plan, "Where on earth it will take us?"

"I do not know, there is a chance you could land in a hostile territory… inside a volcano or in the ocean. You know how to swim, don't you?," asked Hypherion to Bruce, his words dripped with disdain.

"You are trying to send us to our dead," hissed Bruce, curling his fingers into a fist.

"Child, the boom box was not made for the earthlings to use, this is a device made for Parademons ... your fragile mortal body may not be up for the trip, or maybe you are afraid, anyway, you should let Diana go alone, she is a demigoddess and immortal, if somebody could endure that trip is her...you? I'm not so sure, you could be a liability."

"He is not a liability!" said Diana firmly, appearing next to the dark knight. Then she looked straight at Bruce, "we will do this together," she concluded and then looked back to Hypherion.

"Diana, are you sure about this? This is an already dangerous endeavour, and carry a mortal with you will only make things difficult."

"I will not part without him my Lord."

"Diana...you are very stubborn," said Hypherion studying her with his yellow eyes, "but if you still want to take this mortal with you. I will help you," he said glancing with disapproval at Bruce. "Just consider that you will need to be together when you press the silver bottom, otherwise, the other will not get transported, and will be tear apart."

Diana nodded, holding tight the boom box. Hypherion felt there was nothing left to say and started to walk away under a large grid in an obscure corner; Diana followed him, but Bruce remained immobile, holding the hilt of his sword.

"And what would you do while we risk our lifes? ... Watch us die … or call more Parademons?" asked Bruce defiant.

"I will give you time and cover your escape. Once you return to earth, the Parademons will chase you; they will hunt you like hungry dogs, you will need as much time as you can get," Hyperion replied looking at Bruce with contempt.

Diana turned around and got close to the dragon, understanding the lengths of his sacrifice, "my lord, why don't you come with us?"

"No, my place is here. I do not belong to the earth."

"But..."

"Do not worry about me Diana, I will be fine. Now get ready."

She touched the dragon and held him in a quick embrace, as a silent pledge and thank you.

Hypherion closed his eyes for a moment, moved by Diana's gesture. It has been too long since anyone regarded him for more than two seconds without fear or disgust, and even more time had pass since anyone embrace him. Therefore, when she let him go, he felt empty inside, as he had never feel before. For a moment, he wished to turn back to his previous humanoid form, but he knew it was too late. Moving his head, as if he wanted to clear his mind from the thought, he flew to the ceiling. He looked trough one of the grids and noticed a sudden movement in the room and a small group of women.

"Oh, no! ...The furies are here."

"The furies?" Asked Diana from the floor of the large and dark hall, confused.

"Darkseid's female personal guards. A group of highly trained assassins fiercely devoted to him. If they are here, that means Darkseid may noticed something is odd. Diana you will need to move fast and with extreme stealth," said the dragon, landing next to her.

"I will do that, thanks my lord."

Bruce launched a grapple in the ceiling, which got fixed near the large grid, and holding the rope, he offered his hand to Diana.

"Come princess, I will help you to climb."

Diana was about to join him, when she was sweep of her feet by the head of the Hypherion, who in a quick movement put her on his back, and flying swiftly, he stood under the grid.

"Diana needs to move faster, mortal," he said looking down at Bruce, then he addressed Diana, "Remove the grid."

She nodded, and ripped the large grid so it was wide enough for two people to pass through it. Then she looked back at Bruce, and offered her hand to him, Bruce until that moment, had been climbing the rope of his grapple, and although he was fast, he was still far from the ceiling. Diana was leaning to reach him, when Hypherion flew higher, pushing her through the grid, " I will take care of him, Diana, now go!" said the dragon when Diana tried to get back, and then he gave her a final push inside the room, where she disappeared.

Hypherion turned around; looking at the dark knight with his yellow eyes, beaming in the dark as luminous flames. Bruce only squinted in distrust, and addressed the dragon defiant, "I do not know what is this new scheme of yours, but if something happens to her, I would hunt you down, god or immortal," Bruce grit his teeth and kept climbing fast.

Hypherion, smiled and then flew around Bruce, his voice low and hissing, in a dangerous whisper, "Kept quiet! I do not like the deals between mortals and immortals … Specially when you are so unworthy of her."

"I don't care what you think," replied Bruce concentrated in climbing.

"If you really love her, you should stay away from her. Diana is at peril right now: Darkseid is determinate to conquer the earth and everybody on it, and that includes her...War is upon your planet and she is heading right into the centre of it. What would you do to help her? You are but a fragile mortal, who is only going to slow her down, and her concern for you will be her undoing."

Hypherion was about to continue his rant, when he heard the sound of a marching army heading towards them.

"I guess this is it. I will buy her as much time as I can," said the dragon, flying away straight into the marching army right around the corner. Bruce saw in that moment, the glow of the breath of fire from the god.

Bruce reached the grid and was about to held its edges to pass trough it when the sound of footsteps came closer, one of the Parademons noticed the ripped grid and put his head trough it, Bruce hit the beast in the head, and he managed to stunt it; but the Parademon was strong enough to grab him. They engrossed in a fist fight, and Bruce managed to held the beast close enough to tide a loop with part of the rope of the grapple, around the neck of the creature and use it to hang it, the tremors of the Parademon when dying were so violent and repetitive that required all Bruce's energy to hold it tight.

However, the movement along with weight was too much for the grapple to hold and slowly slipped out from the structure it has been hook. Bruce tried to grasp it but it was too late and he felt into the emptiness. His thoughts went to Diana; he needed to be with her, he fought to reach the rope, but it slipped through his fingers. Feeling he failed her, he held tightly the coat of arms, wishing more than anything, to be with her. In that moment, he saw by the corner of his eye something large moving in his direction and then, instead of the hard rock of the tunnel, he landed in a soft and furry surface he tried to turned around but soon he was back on the ground again, unhurt.

Hypherion returned from his encounter with Darkseid's army, his mouth smoking and his chest still glowing, but he stopped suddenly looking in shock not at the dark knight, but at something beside him.

"Bybloo," said breathlessly Hypherion, "why are you here, who summed you?"

The creature just answered with a loud screech, but apparently it was just enough for Hypherion to understand. Immediately he turned to look at Bruce again, only this time a mix of surprise and amazement replaced his usually disproving gaze.

"What do you have in your hand? Show it to me!" he demanded and Bruce, reluctantly complied, "The coat of arms of the batmen!... That race is long extinct; they left Apokolips and went to the earth in search of better worlds, long before the Great War, but the fact that you can sum Bybloo means there must be something in your blood from that race. Maybe you are not as useless as I thought."

Bruce saw Bybloo for the first time, it was far from pretty, with its large pointy ears and hog like nose, but it eyes were tender, and in a way, Bruce found the beast sweet. He passed by it and then picked up his torn grapple, the hook was still intact but the rope was torn, he disregarding that fact, and was about to toss it again into the air, when he felt something brushing his legs and pushing him forward. It was the large bat; almost by instinct he knew what the beast wanted and he jumped on its back, they flew together until he reached the grid on the ceiling and swiftly, he entered the chamber.

He looked around and found Diana in a corner, hidden by the shadows. He was about to craw to her, when he saw her jumping out of her hide out and heading at full speed towards at large circular structure that resembled a giant mirror. She hit furiously the machine and destroyed it.

Immediately dozens of Parademos surrounded her, but she already took a piece of metal from one of the next machines, and use it as a sword and in series of quick movements, she defeated them. However after the last one felt, a pair of women arrived with more Parademons at their backs, the one dressed in black with white stripes addressed her.

"So much about nothing, after all the search you came to us alone… Darkseid will be a little disappointed because he do enjoy the trill of the hunt, but I guess this is better, although, in my opinion you are unworthy of be part of the furies. Parademons take her! " Ordered the woman to another group of beasts.

"Why you send your beasts to take over me? Are so coward to fight against me or too weak to defeat me?" asked Diana outraged to the woman in black and white stripes.

"You are a fool! I will handle you to Darkseid, myself" said a woman wearing a green dress, and a knife flew trough the air heading to Diana's head, but she deflected it with her bracelets.

" No Bernadeth! Darkseid wanted her alive," ordered the women in black.

"She will never become one of us, Lashina, is better to get ride of her now."

"No, that is an order!"

Bruce sensed that was their opportunity to escape and throw a smoke bomb at their feet, cover by the smoke, he ran to her and whispered in her ear, " Diana it's me, take my hand," he said grabbing her hand.

" I never run from battle"

" We are just changing the scene of battle. Come on, we need to get back to earth!"

He held her hand with delicacy yet firmly and maybe because of his touch, she was more wiling to run from the place, she picked up the boom box.

"Cheap tricks won't help you, seize her!" ordered the woman in black and white stripes.

Flying knifes came pouring in their direction, Diana managed to deflect them with her bracelets, and Bruce did it with his sword, but one of them cut him on the thigh and Bruce felt an excruciating pain that brought him to his knees. Diana held him, while Bernadeth, Lashina and dozens of Parademons surrounded them; she stood in a defensive stage protecting the dark knight, when the largest bat she had ever seen, landed beside them. Hypherion entered the chamber in that moment too. Tall, proud and terrible, the dragon poured fire over them.

"Diana, go now! Bybloo flew them away, fast!," ordered the dragon.

Diana pressed the silver bottom of the mother box, and in that instant, a tunnel of light appeared in front of them. Diana tried to carry Bruce but the bat was in front of them, it lean forward in a way that it was easy for them to mount it, and on its back they entered the tunnel of light.

* * *

They came out at the end of the tunnel stumbling; it was night on earth and Bybloo flew erratically through the wood, until he found a cave, where they landed. The dark knight was in bad shape, although, he tried to appear calm and collected when they arrived to the cave, he insisted on remain in the dark, the light he claimed, would attract enemies. Seeing him so wounded she did not have the heart to say no, after all it was because of her that he resulted injured. She recalled the fight and guilt washed over her, she knew he had been so quiet because he was angry with her, but she could not stay hidden while her world was in danger. She heard those women talked about the invasion and about how easily they were going to defeat the earth armies, with the legions of Parademons that will go through the portal. She knew in that moment, what has to be done, so she left her hide out and hit the panel, but she did not have the time to explain all those things to the dark knight, and now he has been hurt. Even in the darkness she could see the dark knight was in pain, and she knew that without care, he will only get worse.

"I will go out to find some water and some plants that can help to heal your wounds."

"No! Is too risky, besides I have something in my belt that may help," he said taking out a small bottle, but it was broken.

"No more medicine?"

"No," he said trying to hide his frustration and the pain that was consuming him.

She got up and draw her sword, "I will get back soon," she was heading the cave exit but she stopped and before leaving, she turned her gaze to the large bat, "Bybloo, take care of him until I return."

He tried to get up, but was too weak, and the bat used his head to kept him on the ground. Diana started to walk into the nearby woods, and after a while, she found the medicinal plants and the water, and returned to the cave in haste. During her brief excursion, she did not see any enemies, and thought it would be no harm in lighting a small bonfire, besides the dark knight was already asleep. She cleaned his wounds the best she could, and placed the medicinal herbs in the awful slash Bernadeth's knife caused.

She heard him whisper her name in the middle of his feverish dream, he called for her in such a desperate way, that it only made her wonder what kind of dreams could hunt him. For the first time, she observed him carefully and found something oddly familiar in him, she touched his face lightly when his voice started to sound more coherent, "No, birds get away from her, take me instead! Do not take Diana!" he said.

Diana was surprised by the reference, so she focus her attention on his sword, it looked so similar to the sword Bruce carried when they were kids, she remembered it vividly, since Bruce was so proud of it, and said more than once that there was no other sword like that in the world. Suspicious, she inspected the dark knight's armour, and found nothing on it related to the Wayne's House. But then, she noted he was holding something tightly on his hand; cautiously she took one by one his fingers and made his hand opened; her heart was beating harder with every move, and then she saw in the middle of his palm, the coat of arms of the crowned bat.

 


	23. Pain is the only escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana runs to face the danger. Bruce goes after her.

 

* * *

**Clark**

He wanted to shout, to scream at the top of his lungs, but somehow his voice did not come out, only an intelligible sound. He struggled with the pain and the humiliation, as he kept hearing an old feminine voice constantly telling him to give up, to forget about his past, his present, his future,  _'just surrender and the pain will stop_ '. A part of him wanted to do just that, but another part inside him knew it was wrong. Yet, his body betrayed him and for the first time he gave up.

"He is all yours my lord," said Granny Goodness with joy.

"Good! I cannot wait to see how he turns against Rao, but first I want him to be next to me when we attack the Olympus, there so much we need to do."

"Are you pleased My Lord?" asked Granny anxiously.

"More pleased than with your recent failure, yes. Have you located her?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure she headed to earth."

"Of course she is there, where else would she go! Have the dragon talked?"

"Hypherion is harder to capture than we thought, but he will not escape, I have a battalion of Parademos and the furies behind him."

"I want you to teach him a lesson for the ages. He took away something I really wanted, and nobody does that to me and gets away immune."

"My lord why the sudden interest in her? " asked Granny Goodness hardly hiding her surprised of Darkseid's interest in the Amazon, "I thought he was you real weapon," she said pointing at Clark.

"He is powerful, but have them both at my service will be more than useful. Now leave," said Darkseid contemplating Clark, and smiled cruelly.

* * *

Clark woke up and he was wearing dark armour, and in his chest there was an omega symbol, so red as if it were blood. He felt as if he was inside a dream, an awful dream, a nightmare, where he did things, he never thought he will be capable of doing. He destroyed villages and punched away armies; it all seemed so easy. He always had known he was powerful, but until now, he have not realize his powers could change the fate of the world, and a part of him was intoxicated by that knowledge, with the way everything was at his grasp, the power to impose his will, the power of live and death, and none to answer but just one being in the entire universe: Darkseid.

* * *

**Hades  
**

Hades had his share of grief and pain: when he was relegate to rule the underground; when his upraising suffered defeat in the hands of Zeus, and when Hyppolita left him. However, until now he had never felt so devastated, the lost of his only daughter was a pain he never thought he would endure and certainly, was the hardest.

Diana vanished in the middle of the labyrinth of the infamous champions tournament. When the news arrived to Hades, he went straight to Zeus, certain that he was behind her disappearance, and when Zeus deny it, he went mad; completely enraged, he declared war on the Olympus, and so it started the battle of the gods. For ninety days and nights, they engrossed in a fierce battle. The world's destiny seemed to be determinate by the result of their fight, but they all were deceived, since the battle was a distraction that allowed Darkside to easily invade the earth.

The Apokolips' god entered the planet with an army of Parademos and a deadly warrior whom had red beams coming from his eyes, he wore a helmet that covered completely his face, but he was strong and fast, spears and swords did nothing to him. Soon all the kingdoms on earth started to fear him, and one by one, they fell into the dominion of Darkseid.

* * *

**Apollo  
**

Bruce opened his eyes all the sudden and closed his hand into a fist, holding tight the coat of arms, immediately, he got up and pick up his sword which has been lying next to his left side. He was still feverish but his movements were so swift that if Diana had not move fast the blade of his sword could have hurt her. The fever was affecting him. She wielded her sword and tried to defend herself against his dangerous, although erratic thrusts.

"You need to calm down!" she said in a firm voice, but it was futile. Bruce could only see shadows, and each of them for him looked dangerous, and her voice sounded so far away to him that he could not figure out what was she saying.

He kept erratically parrying against her, but in a movement, she disarmed him and took him down. However, Bruce was stronger than she recalled, and it costed her great effort to contain him. He used martial moves she had never seen and eventually, he got free, reaching for his sword that has been toss into the ground, he held it again. She saw how he winced in pain and tried to aid him, but he kept pointing his blade at her menacing.

"Get away from me!"

"It's me… Diana."

"No! You are trying to trick me again. This is another one of those dreams that feel so real...when you are next to me, when you hug me and whisper words of comfort and love, only to leave me alone and desperate when I wake up. I'm sick of you, shadow!" He said bitterly and tried to parry against her, but the fever and the pain from the wound started to take his toll on him, and he collapsed on the ground.

Diana ran by his side, and saw him shaking uncontrollably. She managed to hold him, and carried him next to the bonfire, where his body little by little stopped trembling, but when she tried to make him drink some water, he started to cough a mix of blood and foam.

"Bruce!" She said and her voice was broken, while thick tears were rolling down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and started to pray to her gods silently and with fervour, because she could see how his live was hanging by a treat. In that moment, his eyes rolled back and she felt his body completely limp in her arms. Alarmed, she touched his face gently and his skin and was as hot as if he were boiling inside, and the iron mask felt even hotter.

"This stupid mask is smothering you," she said thinking at loud, and was about to rip it off when she heard a voice inside the cave.

"Diana, don't!"

"My lord Apollo! You heard my prayers…please heal him! He is hurt and I'm afraid his wounds are beyond my skills."

"Diana... I did not come to heal your friend; in fact, I came for you. An old god has invaded the Olympus, and we need you."

"I cannot leave! Bruce is injured."

"Such is his destiny as a mortal, he will die eventually."

"How can you say that? How can you let him die when his salvation is in your reach?"

"Diana, you need to understand our circumstances are dire, Ares betrayed us... However, his allies want you...they fear you, and right now, you are our most powerful weapon, our last hope."

"Hope? How can there be hope when Bruce is dying? I will not move until he is well."

"You are the champion of the gods, your duty is to fight for us," reprehend Apollo. Diana cringed when she heard a reminder of her duties, and held Bruce tighter bitting her lip trying to contain the frustration she felt.

Moved, Apollo walked next to her, and gently stoke her hair, "However, since the life of this mortal means so much to you, I will make you a deal: If you go and destroy our enemies, I will heal him."

Diana immediately stood up, gently leaving the limp body of Bruce on the ground, as she touched his face in a silent goodbye and walked to the exit of the cave, where the light of the raising sun was starting to enter.

"Wait! I brought you something," said Apollo while he extracted something within his ropes, "a gift from Hermes: winged sandals, you will fly while wearing them. Now go with haste and do not worry about your mortal."

"Thank you," she said breathlessly, looking at Bruce with immense sadness and then she went into the woods, leaving Apollo next to the dark knight. The god of the Olympus was about to turn around and heal him when he felt another presence inside the cave.

"I never thought the great Apollo will be such as deceiver," said a feminine voice in the shadows.

"Eris!" Exclaimed Apollo unsheathing his sword.

"I knew you will search for Diana, you always had so much faith in her. So I came here to warn you, they are after you... Darkseid and his powerful puppet."

"The son of Rao."

"I thought he was the son of Darkseid, he kept calling him father... so you did foresee him?"

"Yes, only in my visions he was on our side. Something changed that."

"I guess your visions are inaccurate as usual, but you did well in sending Diana away."

"Why are you really here?"

"Believe it or not, I do want Diana to succeed… I know Darkseid will betray Ares, it's just a matter of time, only our brother is so blind by his desire of revenge, that he cannot see what is in front of him. And that is leading us all to the ruin, but I guess you knew all this don't you?"

"Many things are on the move now," he said and put his sword away.

Eris walked around the almost extinct bonfire, observing carefully the limp body of Bruce, "You were going to heal him anyway, didn't you?"

"Yes, but Diana needed to go now, if I didn't make a deal with her, she will linger here until he recover, and that will take days, even weeks. The fahren-knife is a powerful weapon, he is lucky it only scratched him, otherwise, he would combust in seconds, but now, he is slowly burning from the inside out."

"Lucky indeed!", she said with irony and then stood by the dark knight's side, "you can help him?"

"Only because Diana's faith. He does not believe in any god."

"No, but he blindly believes in her," Eris saw how her last statement upset Apollo, and knew there was something off in the sudden goodwill of his brother, she looked at him straight into the eyes. "You did this to save her."

Apollo remained silent, while Eris smiled wickedly. " You can delay this as much as you want, but you know as well as I do. You cannot kept them apart."

"He will be her downfall."

"He is her fate."

"The future is always changing."

* * *

**Bruce**

The shadows of his nightmares slowly started to dissipate. Then he saw her, even more beautiful as he reminded, smiling and offering him her hand. He held and contemplated her image of such a mesmerizing grace, she looked radiant in a delicate white dress, he looked around and saw the main hall of Gotham palace, adorned as in the old days, of glory and splendor, the light entered for the tall windows and flowers were everywhere around them. Her hand gently touched his face and in that moment he felt so happy, but then, everything vanished.

"Diana!" He screamed, opening his eyes suddenly.

"He is up" said Apollo to Eris surprised by the quick recovery of Bruce. They started walking from the far end of the cave to the bonfire.

"Is he alright?", asked Eris.

"The worst had pass, but it will take at least weeks for him to fully recover," he said and was about to turn around to see Bruce when he faced a bright and sharp blade pointing at him.

"Who are you and where is Diana?" Asked Bruce standing in front of the golden god.

"Mortal, do you really think your blade can hurt me?" replied amused Apollo.

"Answer me or I will make sure you find out you are not as invulnerable as you think. Where is she?"

"She is at the Olympus fighting against Darkseid," interjected Eris.

Bruce looked from the corner of his eyes and saw Eris, and with his sword still up, he moved in a way he could face both gods, "You!" He said narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, me, and you should stop pointing your blade at my brother. After all, Apollo is the one who heal you."

Bruce lower his sword and sheathed his sword, "When did she left?"

"The day before yesterday."

Bruce immediately started to walk to the exit of the cave.

"Where do you think you are going?" Asked Apollo astonished by Bruce sudden recovery, but Bruce did not answer and kept walking. "You are not totally heal, you need to rest!"

Bruce kept ignoring him and was nearly at the exit of the cave when Apollo decided to make a final call, "You cannot enter into Olympus, is in the sky, hidden to the mortals eyes, only those who truly believe in the Olympians or who are gods or demigods are allow to enter. You obviously do not fit into any of those descriptions, and as far as I know you cannot fly," concluded the golden god.

Bruce stopped for a moment."I will find a way."

Eris reached him, "Use this."

"Eris!" Exclaimed Apollo trying to hold her but she eluded him.

"This will help you to find the Olympus and Diana," she said giving him a pentagon shape rock, "it will light when you are near the Olympus, and you will only have to show it if someone or something doesn't allow you to enter."

Bruce nodded and vowed his head slightly as a silent thank you. He was about to leave the cave, when he felt something brushing his legs and it was the large bat. He smiled at the animal and peted his head." This is dangerous," he said, but the animal did not move and kept looking at him, "Let's go then." He rode Bybloo and together they flew into the sky.

* * *


	24. Behind closed doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana confronts her friends with surpising results.

* * *

 

**What lies behind trapped doors**

She had visited the Olympus before, but to her surprise now, the palace was desert. She expected traces of a hard battle but instead there was an eerie calm and the place looked as a vast wasteland, where fire pits burned now and then. She floated across the halls and from the shadows, black arms that felt like iron claws tried to grab her, instantly she knew those were the spectres. She heard tales from those beings, souls that lived in the night and that feed from fear and cruelty, they lived only in the underworld but someone or something must bring them into the Olympus. Soon they formed a tight mass of shadows that enveloped her, drowning her into their darkness. For a moment, all she could see was the black arms of the spectres, but when her W pendant reflected the only ray of light that entered the hall, and an incredible bright beam shone in the dark, causing the spectres to left frighten.

Exhausted, she felt on her knees trying to catch a breath, when a cold sword touched her throat, she closed her eyes, waiting for the stroke, when she heard a voice behind her back, "What is this... an Amazon caught off guard?"

Mixes of relieve and fear invaded her and doubtfully she asked, "Polemos?"

"I taught you better than this. Your mind is off," he replied lowering his sword.

She turned around, happy to encounter her old tutor, but soon her happiness turned to worry, when she saw a disheveled daemon of combat, his skin looked grey and almost transparent, and his armour had stains of blood and a dark substance she could not place what it was.

"Polemos, are you alright? What are you doing here? Where is father? And my mother, are they well?"

"So many questions, but so little time... answer me first, who send you here?"

"My lord Apollo."

"If he send you here is because there is still hope." He said and started to walk away avoiding Diana's gaze, "The Olympus is now, as you can see a shadow land... Zeus started a war against Hades and he responded sending his un-dead army against him. However, in the end, it was Darkseid, who took advantage of the situation. He invaded both the Olympus and the underworld, sending most of the Olympians to the fourth dimension... Others ran and are walking the earth now, as fugitives, others were left behind and fought only to find dead and becoming a shadow... Your father tried to resist Darkseid in a last battle, but it was futile, because he was deceived... Now he is held prisoner at a place called the phantom zone."

"And my mother?"

"Ares invaded Themyscira or at least he tried, the battle was fierce and now the island is under siege... Ares wants to bend your mother's pride but she is a true warrior and a queen, she will never surrender."

"I must go and help her, and break my father out from prison!" said Diana and she tried to run away but Polemos hold her by the arm in a fierce grip.

"No, Diana! That is not your fight"

"How can you say that?! My father is in prison, and my land is under siege."

" If you really want to end this and help them, you will need to defeat the true origin of this evil: Darkseid. He is the only one, who knows how to release your father from that prison, and without him, Ares power will diminish and it will be easier to defeat him. Diana, don't let your emotions cloud your judgment, I know how difficult it is for you to go the other way when those you love are in pain, but trust me on this: the only way to win this war is to defeat Darkseid."

"Are you asking me to leave my parents to perish?"

"I'm asking you to think in the overall strategy to win, and not in a tactic for one battle. I'm asking you to become the leader your parents raised, and I trained. I'm asking you to stop thinking as a princess, and think as a queen. Now, are you going to come with me or not?"

Diana stop struggling and followed Polemos through a series of obscure halls that extended under the Olympus palace. She never imagined that the most luminous place on earth could harvest so much darkness. As she walked behind him, she could not help but to feel a sense of despair that absolutely enveloped her. They keep walking until Polemos reached a door, and then a secret passage opened in front of her.

" Behold the golden chamber... A place only a select few had enter... Go."

"Are you not going inside with me?"

" I wish I could be able to be at your side but I can't."

"Why?"

"My dear girl, this task can only be completed by someone like you, but I will be here, waiting."

Diana entered the chamber, which glow as brightly as the sun, a magnificent room with tall columns made of gold and floors of white marble, in the centre of the room floated suspended in the air a big golden sword. Diana approached it with reverence when a voice started to resound in the chamber.

"Diana of Themyscira we have been waiting for you. Our oracle had foreseeing you, as the one who can hold the must powerful weapon in the Olympus: the sword of Orion," said an angelic feminine voice.

"This sword was created by the titans, it was made before the nations came to be, is as old as the earth and as powerful as Gaia. It cannot be broken, it cannot be destroyed, and it will pierce even the hardest surface and is one of the only few weapons which can kill a god," added a baritone voice.

The feminine voice started to talk again, "The power of the sword will corrupt anyone unworthy, but you, an Amazon princess who seeks neither power or fortune, and who only want peace, can hold it."

"Be careful, the sword is a jealous master...it will require all your love and devotion, and your alliance will only end with dead."

Diana hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is this sword the weapon that will bring peace to my world?"

"This weapon can defeat Darkside," replied at unison both voices.

"Then I will hold it with honour," she said, taking the sword. Polemos was waiting for her patiently, just as she left him.

" I hope I didn't was in there for too long," she said apologetically.

"You stayed inside nearly three days."

"Three days! It felt more like minutes."

"As an immortal you will soon find out that time is inconsequential...I see you have the sword of Orion...I'm proud of you, no one was ever more worthy of such honour, but Diana you need to be careful, a weapon as powerful as this attracts the ambition of both men and gods alike."

"Polemos is there something else you want to tell me? I have the feeling you are hiding something from me", said Diana looking at Polemos with concern, she noticed how the usually stoic look on his face was gone and for a moment, he looked really sad, but then, his looked changed and his face was as hard as she remembered.

"Nonsense, I told everything you need to know...just be careful. Now, you are in the path of fulfilling your destiny, go and find Darkseid...The best place to start looking for him is at Metropolis, it's there where he has his headquarters on earth. That is where his protégé, Kal-El lives."

"Kal!"

" You know him, Good! it will be easier then to find him and kill him."

"I will not do that."

" Diana if you don't kill him, he will kill you."

"Kal is incapable of doing something like that. This must be some kind of mistake..."

"There is no mistake. This is war, child, and war is cruel, unfair and it draws out the worst of each being."

"I refuse to believe Kal could do anything terrible, he was always good and fair, you will see."

"You are still very young and naive, but soon you will find out the terrible things humans can do. Come, I will show you where is Metropolis."

Polemos walked away with Diana floating around him, when the sounds of a fight reached them, immediately Diana wielded her sword and went straight to the soruce of that sound.

"Diana, wait!" Polemos shouted but it was too late since she was already gone.

Diana observed how the spectres were turning into a compact mass, which wanted to envelope something, and then she saw the familiar shape of the pointy ears of the iron bat helmet, "Bruce," she said almost breathlessly and ran directly to the mass of shadows that threatened to suffocate the dark knight into the oblivion.

She wielded her new given sword and touch the shadows with it, in a moment the creatures disappeared. Diana found Bruce on a fighting stance, wielding his sword and looked at him directly into the eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," he replied icily.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you."

"Why?"

"I was worried," replied Bruce, without thinking.

"You should be resting, " Diana said approaching him and touched his arm, her contact although light as a feather, made Bruce's heart beat faster, he turned his back at her as a way to cover the sudden crimson huge that threatened to tilt his cheeks and started to walk away.

"Bruce!" she said more as a plea than a call.

Hearing her name on her lips, not as a feverish dream, but as conscious thought, made Bruce froze.

"I know is you, and I should be the one mad because you hide this from me from the start."

"I don't know what you are talking about," he replied, with his back still at her. Determinate to talk to him, Diana flew in his direction blocking his path and in a swift movement, took his sword. "This is the sword of the Prince of Gotham, and I know there is no other like this in the world… and if that is not enough prove this should be…" she said taking from his cape the coat of arms of the crowned bat, "I gave it to my best friend, Bruce Wayne, as a promise…remember?"

For a moment, they looked at each other in silence, then she offered him the sword and the coat of arms, and slowly, he reached for them. Bruce felt his strength was living, a part of him wanted to hold her dear as he dreamed so many times, but there was other part of him, urging him to get away from her, to leave the Olympus and never come back.

Diana was overjoyed and tried to approach him but he stepped back. She noticed his discomfort but she was relentless, and continued to close the distance between them. "As soon as I arrived to Gotham, I searched for you, I asked all at court but everyone told me you disappeared in the eastern mountains and that most probably you were dead, I refused to believe it, but still it was so painful," she said and for a moment her crystal blue eyes started to look teary.

That seemed to trigger something in Bruce, and all his pain and the yearning came back like a tornado blowing away his entire cold demeanour.

"Painful? What you know about pain, Princess?... I watched how my parents were killed in front of me, I saw how a man stabbed my father to dead and decapitated my mother and I had to parry against him with her blood still warm in my hands...I'm sure you knew about this...the whole world knew about this, and where were you when I needed you the most?... you were away hidden in paradise island! I did not receive any news from you, not a single line, nothing. I guess I was not as important to you then."

The words came out of his mouth before he could think about them, as darts directed to her heart dripped with venom. Of all the things he wanted to tell her, those were the least he thought he ever would, but for years the doubt had plagued him: Was their friendship just a child's play? was she forgot him and discard him like an old toy?

"How can you say that?! I wanted to go to you, I..."

"I don't want to know. Clearly coming here was a mistake. I'm glad you are fine. Now if you excuse me, I have to get back to Gotham." He said, regaining his detached posture, his pride taking over again.

"I will go with you."

"You are not welcome!" he said angry and turned around to ride on Bybloo again, Diana was about to follow him when Polemos, who until that moment had heard the exchange silently in the background, decided to intervene, holding her arm.

"Diana, is better that you let him be, besides you have other places to go. Metropolis is waiting, remember."

Diana nodded slowly and started to fly away in the opposite direction of Bruce, taking a long glance at him. She wanted him to know, that he has always been on her mind since the day they parted, but he had turned his back and was walking away, and she had a mission.

"To Gotham Bybloo," commanded Bruce to the bat, still angry by his own reaction and by the way she made him feel, always so vulnerable. The animal refused to follow Bruce's lead; instead, Bybloo was trying to follow Diana.

In that moment, Polemos approached the dark knight; "I guess I should thank you for not letting her follow you. She is the Amazon who will change the world, and being with you, will only get her...distracted from achieving greatness."

"Always glad to help," said Bruce with sarcasm, and pulled Bybloo harder and this time, although reluctantly, the animal moved.

He flew at the back of Bybloo and all the way to Gotham he couldn't take away from his mind the image of Diana, the pain in her eyes when he said those words, and he hated himself for the things he said, during the trip there were many moments he wanted to get back and talked to Diana again, but eventually he decided against it. He had a mission: protect Gotham and to recover his kingdom, even if that mean let go the things he longed for years.

 

* * *

 

Clark was pacing inside one of the luxurious chambers of the Metropolis palace, dressed in black and red armour, and with his head covered by the helmet that Darkseid gave him. He looked so menacing the people around eluded him with fear. Usually he felt that a little disconcerting, but now he was glad he had that effect, because his head was pounding with a terrible pain. Images of horror and torture flashed on his mind mixed with his own memories. For a moment, he had to hold on a column and nearly crush it, since the pain was intolerable, but then the image of a woman with lavender eyes entered in his mind and the pain was gone.

"Are you alright?" asked Steppenwolf, who entered the chamber in a hurry.

"Yes"

"You are a terrible liar. I will call granny, she will know what to do."

"No! I told you that I'm fine."

"Okay, there is no need to get mad. If you feel alright then, there is someone who wants to meet you."

"Who?"

"The Princess Diana of Themyscira."

"Themyscira? Was that not the island Ares has under siege?"

"Yes"

"How did she escape?"

"I don't know, maybe she wants to surrender? But she is right at the blue room, why don't you ask her?"

"I will meet her then."

He walked to the blue room with determination. He entered the room and took his helmet away, for some reason he believed that it would be inappropriate to wear it in front of her. he was surprised by what he saw, the woman in front of him was not only incredible beautiful but she irradiated such a serenity, it was difficult not to feel immediately more calm in her presence.

"Your highness I was told you wanted to meet me."

"Kal!" replied Diana with a bright smile, and for a moment he was taken aback, her smile was so warm and genuine he could not help but to smile back at her, "We went through this before, please call me Diana."

"Diana," he replied surprised by her statement, and immediately felt how easy the name rolled on his lips, "what do you want?"

"Kal, first I want to know why you are terrorism this land?" her bright smile had disappeared and now was scolding at him, looking at him with a mix of disappointment and anger.

"Excuse me?", the way she addressed to him, was very familiar and that took him by surprise again.

"On my way here, I found people who mention you burned their lands, and destroyed their homes, and many told me how you imprisoned all who opposed to you like cattle, some of them even mentioned, you delivered your prisoners to the parademons to tortured them."

"I see…You spoke with the rebellious ones… All I want was to bring order and peace to this land, people here were sick and ignorant, battling against each other for scraps, like wild beasts. Under the benevolent rule of Darkseid, they will not have to fear or suffer from decisions that put at peril their lives, they will have just to surrender and we will put them in a labour fit for their abilities."

"You mean turned them into slaves."

"That's not different from the way they were living before. I saw how many of these so called lords treated them, and serve Darkseid is no different and by doing so their lives will have a meaning."

"I see, so now you are at his service."

"Of course, he is my father."

"Your father! You never mentioned that before."

"Why should I? This is the first time we meet."

"You don't remember the melee or the time we spent in the woods with Wally?"

He looked at her azure eyes, and for a moment got lost in her gaze, she reminded him of something beautiful but lost, and then the pain started to come back again only this time so hard, he broke the the chair he held. Her voice seemed to trigger different images of things that often appeared in his dreams but at the same time, the pain started to become more unbearable.

"Kal!" said Diana again and try to hold him, but the moment she touched him, the ache increased.

Enduring the pain, Kal went for his helmet and slowly looked at her again only this time his gentle attitude was gone and instead his face turned severe, "Are you here to surrender?"

"An Amazon never surrenders," replied Diana defiant.

"If you are not here to abdicate, then you are here as an enemy, and I should treat you as one." He put his helmet on and went for the door calling the guards "arrest her, and take her to the cell at the highest tower, I will question her later."

When he turned around Diana was flying next to the ceiling and had broken one of the windows, "I'm sorry Kal, but I'm not interested in spending time in a dark prison, I came here to talk to you because I refused to believe that you have done all those things. I see now it was an error."

Kal was surprised to see her fly, and with a smile he went after her; flying high until they were a feet away from each other. "I don't want to hurt you, so I will ask you for the last time, surrender peacefully and I will see that you are treated well and that your people suffer no harm."

"No harm?! You want them to become Darkseid's slaves … that is not what I want for my people," she said and flew away.

Kal went after her, the chase thrilled him, and despite the fact she was a fugitive for a moment he thought it was fun. She was faster than he thought, and every time she eluded him, but then he had a hold on her and to his surprise she manage to get ride of his fierce grip.

"Diana, this is not a game, surrender, or I will hurt you."

"I dare you to try."

He sent a beam of rays directed to her legs, but she blocked them with their bracelets, then he turned and tried to hit her, and she blocked each one of his blows. They engrossed into a fight, where neither of them wanted to let go or deliver a devastating blow. Kal, decided to neutralize Diana by holding her so tight, for a moment, she was getting out of air. In a desperate move, Diana went for her sword, and pierced Kal's leg. He felt the pain, and released from his hold on Diana, she took that opportunity, and managed to fly away.

Kal did not pursue her, because to his astonishment, he saw his own leg bleeding. He landed and minutes after, Steppenwolf, arrived with a battalion of parademons.

"Where did she go?"

"I do not know."

"Did you let her escape?! Darkseid is going to be really angry, he wanted her," scolded Steppenwolfe to Kal, he was about to report to Darkseid when he saw the young kryptonian's leg, "You are bleeding."

"Is nothing."

"I do not think so… you should not be bleeding, not sword can hurt you."

"I told you is nothing! Why don't you use your parademons to find her?"

Steppenwolfe, was surprised by Kal's reaction, he was usually polite, but in this case he could see he was angry, and complied his orders.

* * *

Diana was against running away from battle, but she did not want to fight against Kal either. The battalion of Parademos chased her like rabid dogs, and flew after her sending beams of heat that she deflected with her bracelets; soon she was surrounded by the beasts, that were looking to pierce their claws at her legs. Diana thrust her sword at them, while many of them fall, others kept coming at her, like endless swarms. She started to descend into the ground, trying to use the nearby woods into her favour, but still she was greatly outnumbered. So engrossed she was fighting against the beast, for a second she forgot to watch her back, and didn't see a Parademon approached from her behind, and pierced with its claws her shoulder, the beast was about to stroke again, when she saw it falling, beside her. Soon afterwards, a loud bang followed by a blast burned a large group of parademons, astonished, she turned around and saw a man in a strange green and purple armour; he wear a round helmet and a visor that covered his face, and was holding the must peculiar weapon she had never seen.

"Come with me quickly, that will not hold them for long!," said her unexpected ally. Still shocked by the willingness of the stranger to help her, she followed him. "This way," he said and pointed at a large rock at the base of a hill, Diana was about to protest when she saw the rock open and the stranger entered inside, hesitant she walked inside too. Once in the interior, she saw a large hallway perfectly lighted with torches. The stranger was in front of her, walking fast and into the endless halls, without saying a word. Diana hated the uncertainty of the situation and yelled at the man.

"Stop! I refuse to keep walking until you reveal yourself," she said wielding her sword.

"Fair enough," replied the man, and stopped in that moment. He removed his helmet, and turned around to face her, "My name is Lex Luthor."

 


	25. The first step to freedom

 

Having a secret meeting at midnight was not an uncommon affair for Lionel Luthor, but the place was not of his liking. He considered himself a reasonable man, but there was something about the reunion, that made him feel anxious. Maybe it was because of the discussion he had with Lex that morning; it was one of the worst conversations they ever had. The boy simply refused to do what was required of him, he needed to get married soon, after all, he had turned eighteen and was not a kid anymore. Lex did not want to marry any of the prospects he had for him, and Lionel had lost his patience. The things he said were harsh and painful, and he saw the hurt in Lex's eyes, but he had to make him understand that in order to rule, he was going to make sacrifices.

When Lionel arrived at the meeting, he knew something was wrong, but it was too late, and while he laid in a pool of his own blood, his last thought went to his son.

* * *

**Lex**

When Lex was accused of murder, there was no trial. He was toss into one of the most obscure dungeons of his own castle and left there to rotten. Confused and outraged, he tried to exercise his authority as heir of the throne, but he was ignored. His days passed in a completely darkness, with only water and a few pieces of hard bread to eat, he lost track of time. He tried to extract some information from his guards, but it proved to be useless, since they were all mute. He passed his days planning how to escape, but the starvation and weakness had taken its toll on him. Then, one day, he heard a noise outside his cell. A man was contemplating him, with fascination as if he were some kind of freak, and even in the dark, he knew that the man was smiling.

"How the mighty have fallen! And to think that not so long ago you were considered the brightest mind of our era, but in reality you are nothing more than a pampered boy. Do not worry though; soon your problems are going to be over. Tomorrow, you will be hang in the plaza," said the man from the shadows.

In that moment, something inside Lex snapped, the desperation and sadness he used to feel all those past days gone, and there was only left a fierce drive to live. The next day, he killed his first man during his escape and to his own astonishment; he felt not a single ounce of remorse. Once outside the dungeons, he managed to get inside the secret hideout passages inside the castle. He was glad for his father's paranoia that allowed him to have a hideaway full with food and supplies and from there; he witnesses the turmoil of the invasion and the carnage that followed.

He witnessed too the arrival of Clark, and watched his transformation into a ruthless soldier, just like his father wanted him to be, and that perturbed him, because something that he had always secretly admired from Clark was his kindness, which was totally gone now.

It was also from his hideout that he observed the confrontation between Diana and Clark. Now with the princess of Themyscira in front of him, he knew he had to play well his cards, if he succeeded, he would gain a powerful ally, if not, he would gain an enemy, so he attempted one thing he usually never try: ask for help.

"I need your help."

"Why?"

"From what I saw there, you are very powerful, and that is very useful for me. The rest is a long story, and I promise I would tell you all about it, but right now, we have Parademons all around us, we need to move."

"Where?"

"There is a place nearby where we can be safe and plan our next move."

"Our next move? What makes you think I would help you? I'm on a mission."

"To stop Darkseid," hurried to reply Lex.

"How do you know that?"

"Everybody wants the same thing," interject almost brusquely Lex, "Trust me, is not as easy as it seems. Now follow me...of course, if you please my lady," he concluded, back-pedalling from his rude manners for a moment.

Diana lowered her sword and followed him through a series of halls. They kept walking until Lex stopped in front of a door, and then when he opened it. Diana found herself inside a large chamber; perfectly lighted and well furnished with a hefty handsome table, tall and elegant chairs and large tapestries, if she did not know better, she could think for a moment, they were inside a castle.

Lex went for a bottle of wine that was in the middle of the table and opened it, pouring some into a cup, he offered it to her, but as she refused, he drank it himself. For her part, Diana was still fidgety, and decided that she had enough of mysteries.

"I would like to hear that story, you thought it was too long to be told before."

Lex, smiled smoothly at her, and took a slow sip of wine. "In that case it will be better if you sit down, my lady."

Diana sat and looked at him expectantly.

Lex stroll down to the chair opposite her and took another sip of his wine, observing her intently directly into the eyes.

"I guess is just fitting that I should tell you a little bit about myself. My father was the lord of Metropolis, as his only son, I was his only heir too. Ours was a relatively small realm, but in the past years through his alliances and vision, my father managed to turn Metropolis, from a small city to a large and prosperous kingdom. He was a very intelligent man in matter of politics, however, he was also very proud and that often took the best of him. The morning of his passing, we had a bitter fight, and when he appeared dead the following day, I was accuse of his murder and imprisoned. When the invasion started, helped by the initial confusion, I managed to escape and I have been hiding ever since."

"So is that what you want, vengeance, recover your kingdom?"

"I only want what it is rightfully mine. And as for revenge, the fact that my father's killer is on the loose, unchallenged, certainly disturbs me, but what enraged me the most, is that the usurpers are ruling my kingdom, besides, a little retribution will satisfied me."

"What I do not understand, is how did your own court find you guilty?"

"I was never popular among them. I have a… rather difficult personality, never was much of a people person or had many friends. Look... I am well aware that I often come across as a smug jerk, and they saw an opportunity to get ride of me, since to them I am a threat to their status quo. Besides, my father and I had a complicated relationship, but still… I loved him," concluded Lex, surprised by his own wiliness to reveal so much of himself to a stranger, he looked down at the cup on his hand, and attributed his sudden blunt confession to the effects of the wine, and not to the presence of Diana.

"Why did you help me? How do I enter in all this squeme?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I saw you fight against Clark, he is strong and I have yet to see somebody who defeats him, but you can go head to head with him. That is remarkable. I can use some help with that."

"So is Kal your enemy?"

"No. Kal or Clark, as I know him, used to be my friend, but he has changed, I suspect he is been brainwashed, and now transform into a weapon. The ones who are ruling my kingdom are in alliance with Darkseid, so in order to regain my realm, I need to defeat them, but Clark is the main obstacle, because he is acting as Darkseid's personal bodyguard and a defender of the usurpers. I'm afraid the Clark I used to know, does not longer exist."

"I refuse to believe that, I sensed good in him."

"Maybe, but I'm not willing to bet on that."

"But you are willing to bet on me… Why?"

"I know that your land is also on perish, you will need to defeat Darkseid to regain it. We share the same goal, which is what makes a good alliance. So are you with me?"

"What is your plan?"

Lex smiled at Diana, his eyes glitter in the light of the candle.

"I thought you never ask."

* * *

Bruce arrived in the late night at Gotham, feeling remorse and angry, but determinate to recovered his kingdom. He hid Bybloo inside one of the caves outside the woods of Gotham, and carefully he tried to reach his palace, but what he found leave him feeling terrified and furious. He saw large battalion of Parademons just in the outskirts of the city. He hid in the dark and managed to get into his secret passage, and was going inside the walls of the palace, only to discovered them devastated, full of debris and rats, and was about to entered the sewers of the castle when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Master Bruce."

"Alfred, I'm so glad to see you!"

"Not as much as I do, I thought you were dead."

"I get that a lot. Now what are those Parademos doing here? They don't look like attacking, more like this is their headquarters."

"Indeed, Cai is an ally of the invaders, he rules now almost all the continent, as a sort of deputy head of state. He is using all those who opposed him as slaves, forcing them to built strange structures, while Parademons watched them night and day. People are running from these lands, and there is a lot of chaos. He dissolved the court, and invest himself as the only ruler."

"Where is Lucios?"

"He sent him to prison, and since then I have been hidden here, and helped the resistance whenever I can."

"I will end this, I will search for Cai and make him pay for all his crimes!"

"Sir, if I may, we need to cut the main source of Cai's power: his allies, they are the ones protecting him, if we do that, defeat him will be easier."

"Alfred, the more time we wait the more time he is going to make people suffer."

"Sir, if you attack him now, when he is at the high at his powers, your odds to succeed are slim, and if you were to fail, Gotham will lose the only opportunity to have a fair king, whereas if you destroy his allies, he will be weak, and you could easily take Gotham back.", replied Alfred, looking at Bruce in the dark waiting for his response, but seeing that Bruce remained unmoved, he dare to voice something he did not want to express before, "I know you want your revenge, and now it seems that is within your reach. With your skills, it would be possible for you to enter the castle and went unnoticed, you could try to slit Cai's throat in his sleep, but then, you would become a murder, and I will not allow the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne to turn into an assassin."

Bruce remained silent, even in the dark and after so many years, Alfred could ready him as an open book.

"Why?"

"You are better than that."

""Really? Because right now I feel like every ounce in my body, wants nothing more than to destroy him, to inflict in him so much pain, as he inflicted in me. I am aware he was not the one who personally killed my parents, but I know that only him would benefit from their dead. So tell me Alfred, you feared your next king will tainted himself with blood?"

"No master Bruce, I believe often monarchs have to make difficult decisions, and I'm sure you will make those decisions when the time comes. However, while revenge and killing now seems appealing, later it will consume you, because eye for an eye is not justice, is pure blood thirst, and in the end, the damage is already done, nothing you do would bring your parents back. But what you can do instead, is to honour their memoir, and become the best you can be, and protect Gotham."

Bruce did not say a word, he was holding the hill of his sword so tight that his knuckles were white, but then he relaxed.

"I will."

"Good. Now, you cannot do this by yourself, you will need help."

"I do not want anybody to risk their live."

"Darkseid is not alone, and destroying him will require more than brute force."

"I know, and I will make a plan accordantly."

"I believe you can leverage from other people efforts, in the end you all share the same goals."

"You already have somebody in mind, don't you old man?"

"Indeed, there is an organized resistance group now: the green lanterns."

Bruce knew Alfred was more than a simple maestre, there was something intangible about him, that convey respect and fear at the same time. Therefore, he was not surprised to know that Alfred was well acquainted with the leader of the resistance, what really surprised him, was seeing the familiar face of John Stewart. Bruce wanted to go and greet John, but John didn't recognize him, because of the mask, and put a dagger in his neck so fast, Bruce had a hard time blocking him and tossed him in the ground, something John did not expected, and he was about to attack him again, when Alfred intervened.

"John stop, he is with me!"

"Alfred!, " said relieved John, and then turned to Bruce, "who is this freak?"

"He is Batman," said a voice in the dark, which Bruce recognized as Kilowog, "I thought you were a myth."

"He is not, and he will join us," replied Alfred defiant.

"Good, the more the merrier, " replied Kilowog, taking John aside.

"Any news on Darkseid?," asked Alfred.

"He comes and goes as he pleases. He often has been seen at Themyscira, where Ares is having a siege again the island. I must said, that god of war, as he calls himself, is obsessed over the Amazons. Which is somewhat good for us, as he is been there busy."

"And Darkseid?, " asked again Alfred.

"Our informer said he is been seen at Metropolis the most, we must go there if we want to stop him. My plan is simple: From what we gather, they are waiting for the arrival of some machines. My sources told me that they are building a large apparatus that will allow Darkseid to transport as many battalions and war machines as he want. We need to stop him before it happens, and destroy that apparatus before is too late."

"We should do this at night, and we should use some distractions. How many people are in your group?," asked Bruce.

"Enough," replied John defiant.

"Not enough to face a large battalion of Parademons. I have seen them first hand, those beasts can be deadly in hand in hand combat."

"Don't worry poozer. The green lanterns are deadly too, besides we are not alone in this, we have allies too," answered Kilowog, looking at Bruce with curiosity, "Now, if you excuse us, we have to start a rather arduous trip to Metropolis, unless of course, that you want to join us," concluded Kilowog, as a sort of invitation.

Bruce did not answer, but he started to walk away from Gotham.

* * *

**Metropolis**

Bruce, and the green lanterns had decided to make a surprise attack at the Metropolis castle. John and Kilowog were confident that their diversion, will provide enough noise to make the parademons out so they could break in and destroy the device that allow Darkseid to be in the earth. They were also confident because, his mysterious ally had found a weapon, he claimed, was so powerful that will stop Darkseid's personal bodyguard, a soldier with a black and red amour, so powerful many feared his mere presence. Bruce was sceptical about it, and made his own preparations, but he agreed to meet them, after their incursion, in the woods outside the castle. Kilowog along with the rest of the green lanterns, entered the castle and subtracted the device, while John and Bruce will remain hidden, providing a diversion to cover their escape, and they all will met in a nearby hill in the woods.

"What was that?," asked Darkseid annoyed by the loud rattle and subsequent tremor that almost made him lost his balance, inside the Metropolis palace.

"My lord, the rebels are attacking the eastern tower" replied Steppenwolf, "If I may, maybe is better for you to return to Apokolips."

"I'm not afraid of these humans, they will feel the wrath of Darkseid."

"My lord maybe Steppenwolf is right," interjected Desaad, who until then, has been hidden in the shadows, "We have reports that Orion is been seen at Apokolips. It seems that High Father is taking advantage of your constant presence on earth, and is getting ready to attack Apokolips."

"What?! Why I have not been informed of this?"

"My Lord, you seem quite focus on conquering the earth I did not thought…" replied Dessad, only to be slapped by Darkseid.

"Idiot!... Steppenwolf, use more Parademos, and send Kal after those rebels."

"But my lord, he is unstable… often has headaches and sometimes he seems lost," answered Steppenwolf.

"Then let him have another session with Granny goodness' machine."

"My lord, the machine is only useful until a certain point, if we push it, he will lost his mind," replied Desaad.

"And?"

"He may become something not worthy anymore," concluded Desaad

"Nevertheless, I want him to handle this, as a prove of his loyalty to me, but I will take your advice Desaad, we will get back to Apokolips. Steppenwolf, call Kal."

Kal arrived, fully dressed in his black and red amour, with his helmet on his right hand, he kneeled at the presence of Darkseid.

"Father."

"Kal, I need you to end this rebellion once and for all. Teach these mortals, what it means to mess with a god."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to show them all your power. I want this rebellion to end at my return, is that clear?"

"I will be done as you order father."

"And Kal… if you see a woman in a golden armour, have no mercy on her."

"Diana?"

"I see… you know her... Good. It would be easier to take her down."

"But…"

"I do not want excuses. Go and make me proud."

"Yes…father," replied Kal, and leave in a hurry, putting his helmet on.

* * *

When Kal faced her again, he was convoluted, a part of him felt a lot of sympathy for her, although he knew he was supposed to hate her. Therefore, when he saw her in the heat of the battle, he went after her, and took her down, but at the same time, he held back. However, she looked determined to kept moving forward and taking down with her as much Parademons as she could. He tried to stop her again; but he did not count on her to come after him, at high speed, hitting him so hard he was in serious pain. Kal had enough, so he punched her as tough as he could, but he did not consider the hit would send her clashing into a near hill, beating her neck against one particular sharp rock. He watched from the distance how she felt down like a feather; at first, he was satisfied with his victory, but immediately, the feeling subsided for an increase worry and anxiety about her wellbeing.

Kal flew to her side and what he saw shock him, she looked so pale and lifeless. He feared the worst, and waves of guilt, desperation and sorrow hit him equally hard, for a moment, he could not breathe and took off his helmet. He wanted to help her, so he kneeled beside her and was about to pick her up when he felt a cold and sharp blade on his throat. He looked up and saw man wearing a strange mask that covered most of his face, he looked so familiar, but his eyes were beaming with such a fury he had never seen before.

* * *

Bruce was engrossed in covering the green lanterns escape, when he saw her, flying around, and his heart started to beat faster. He saw her like a shooting star in the sky, with the moonlight reflected in her golden armour, and he could not help but to smile. But his smile faded when he saw a shadow that hit Diana so hard he send her flying against the nearby hill, and his heart froze as he saw her falling down like a lifeless dove.

He ran as fast as he could to the place where she felt, and when he reached it, he saw the man in the black and red armour now without a helmet, and he immediately recognized him as Clark. His fury increased a tenfold, and swiftly, he pick up Diana's sword that was lying on the floor, and in put the blade on Clark's neck, who was already kneeled next to Diana.

Clark kept with his eyes fixed in Diana's body, he did not move, and for some excruciating moment neither did Bruce. He glanced at Diana brushed and pale body, and as the rage and sorrow consumed him, pushed the blade just enough to make Clark bled a drop. Bruce knew Clark was fast, and that maybe even before he could raise the sword to make the final stoke, the Kryptonian would kill him, but he didn't care, the world had gone mute for him, and as he was about to slide Clark's throat, when a faint sound broke into his silent environment, as if a bubble just busted.

"Bruce, don't." He heard her voice, looked from Clark's neck to Diana, and watched her eyes open and looking at him, and he tossed the sword away, and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Clark was relieved too to see her alive and he was about pick her up her, but Bruce watched how he was about to touch her and went ballistic, his mind was racing and he remembered the dust he collected from the labyrinth and poured some on his gauntlet and immediate crossed Clark so hard that he passed out. Bruce's own knuckles got hurt in the action, even despite the gauntlet he was wearing. He immediately went next to Diana and picked her up, holding her close in his arms, and then she fainted.

"Batman, what are you doing?!" said John getting close to him, "We are supposed to…," but then he went speechless, when he saw the limp body of Clark lying on the ground.

"Pick him up," Bruce ordered signalling to Clark and then addressed John again with urgency, "This ally of yours, you mentioned he has a safe hideout nearby, where is it?"

"Follow me!," said a voice in the dark, and from the woods, emerged Lex, wearing his purple and green armour, that made him looked quite menacing, watching John having problems to carry Clark, he help him, and them motion Bruce to follow him, not without carefully picking up Diana's sword too.

* * *

**Diana**

She woke up with slowly, still dizzy from the pain, the battle with Kal had left her with a series of broken bones and burns, that even with her healing power it was going to take her a couple of days to fully recover. She saw the fuzzy image of a dark tall shadow next to her. As she focus more, she distinguished the broad figure of Bruce Wayne in the mask of the bat, looking down at her, his piercing blue eyes following her with an intense gaze. As soon as he saw her awake, he turned around walking away from her bed.

"Are you still mad at me?" Diana asked with concern.

Bruce stopped the minute he heard her voice, and shook his head, "You nearly die, and the first thing you ask is if I still mad at you?" His shoulders started to shake, and a laugh that resemble more like a bitter sound came from his mouth, "Does it matter?"

"It matters to me," she replied heartfelt.

How could have be mad at her? The minute he saw her, all the anger he could ever felt, disappeared. Moreover, if he was going to be honest, he was never mad at her, just sad and angry because she was not with him, it was selfish and childish, he knew it, but he could not help it.

"Don't worry about it," he replied trying to exit the room, when he heard her voice again.

"You don't want to face me, then I guess you are still mad with me."

He turned around, and just by looking at her blue eyes, he felt again as if a thin threat was pulling him to her.

"You were seriously hurt. You need to get some rest to get well," he replied with more earnest that he intended.

"I'm fine," she said trying to sit on the bed, but she found Bruce firm hand on her shoulder, making her stop.

"You are not invincible, princess," He said using her royal title, more as an endearment than a pronoun. The inflection did not escape to Diana, and felling encouraged by his attitude, she softly held his hand, and ventured to smile at him.

"Bruce?"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to get back to you, but I was not allow. I'm sorry about not being with you when you needed me the most… would you ever forgive me?".

"There is nothing to forgive. I should be the one who ask for your forgiveness… all those things I said before, I …" he did not finish the idea. Her fingers were on his lips, and her touch made his mind melt, he could not think anymore, he just wanted to freeze time and concentrate on the sensation of her skin on him.

"I want you to know, that I did not forget. You were always on my mind."

He shut his eyes close, as if he could treasure this little moment, he held her fingers that were still over his mouth, and gently and softly, put her hand down on her side, and followed her gaze that was directed at him, her ocean blue eyes never leaving his.

"You need to rest."

"I do not need that much rest, I heal fast."

"I know, but the wounds you sustained are serious, and a couple of hours of rest, can make the difference."

" I do not get to win this argument, am I?"

"No."

"Ok, just a couple of hours."

"I will wake you up," He said and tucked her in, but then she looked at him with anxiety.

"Bruce, what happen to Kal, is he okay? "

A pang of pain and jealousy sting Bruce's heart, but he tried to disregarded it.

"Do not worry about Clark."

"Where is he?"

"He is fine."

"Please do not hurt him, he was not himself, there is still good in him."

"He sure made an effort to concealed it. He nearly kills you."

"But he did not and he could. Please Bruce, help him… to get back to us the way we used to know him."

"Is he so important to you?"

Diana was puzzle by the question, and by the way Bruce poised it, even in his deadpan voice, she perceived a pain she did not quite understand.

"Of course. He is my friend."

"I see… Do not worry, he will be fine," he said and was about to leave when she held his hand.

"Would you please stay with me? Just for a moment."

" I will stay with you until you fell asleep."

"Thank you," she said, with a bright smile, and silently she drifted into sleep.

Bruce kept watching at her, and remained there, eben when she let go his hand. He observed her, memorizing each one of the lines of her face, not daring to touch her, when he felt a presence near him, and immediately went for his batarang and tossed it at his back.

"Whoah!, careful there, you could kill me."

"I was not aiming at your head, but at that bug in the wall. What do you want Luthor?"

"I came to see how is she."

"Why do you care?"

"Because, she is my ally, and the best chance we have to defeat Darkseid."

"No."

"No?" replied Lex surprised, "Obviously, you have not seen her fight! She is our best warrior, the only one I know who can defeat Clark and ..." but Lex did not manage to finished his sentence or put any resistance, because Bruce dragged him out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"What the hell?! Have you forgot whose place this is? In case you don't know, this place is mine and..."

"I don't care. She nearly died in there. I will not allow you to use her as a some kind of weapon, in your personal war."

"Allow?! Who do you think you are? Diana can make her own choices, in fact, she already did, and I doubt she will agree with you when she wakes up," replied Lex trying to get back to Diana's room.

"Leave her alone," said Bruce blocking Lex.

They were just inches apart from each other, and although the light of the torches were dim, it was bright enough for Lex to have a good look at the stranger in front of him. He took a few steps back, and then smiled amused.

"Oh, I see… You want to fuc…" Lex did not finish the sentence; a mean upper cut crossed his face, and knocked him down, leaving him in the floor with a bleeding lip and a sore jaw. He wiped the blood with his finger, and sat in the floor, analyzing the dark knight. He observed him carefully, and then a memory hit him and he started to laugh.

"What?"

"I have just remember … You always had an obsession with the girls name Diana… or is it just her? … Bruce."

Bruce did not say a word, just turned around and entered Diana's chamber again, closing the door behind him.

 


	26. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana has a risky plan, that will requiere Bruce' support.

 

He was in chains inside an obscure and damp place, the only light seemed to came from the green fluorescent dust that was covering his body. His armour was gone, and he was just wearing his gambesón. He felt weak, his head was hurting and he barely remembered what happened. His mussings were interrupted by a young man whom had come to visit him. He was looking at him with curiosity.

"Hi Clark," the young man said, greeting at him, and the name, sounded both familiar and foreigner, "I brought you some food and water. Sorry about the chains and the darkness, but due your recent behaviour... Do you know who am I?" asked the stranger, but he received nothing but silence, despite that he continued, "My name is Alexander Luthor."

Clark kept looking at the ground of his cell, too numb to care about the guy who was visiting him, and yet, his green eyes and hairless head, triggered something on his mind.

"Lex…You have always preferred to be called Lex … Only your father called you Alexander, and just when he was mad."

"So you do remember?" replied Lex with more enthusiasm than he intended.

"I remember that."

"We used to be friends… I wish we could still be friends… Clark. Here let me help you," said Lex while trying to help the kryptonian to get up and to eat something, but then as Clark tried to remember more, the pain came back, he started to grit his teeth and then red beams started to come from his eyes, almost hitting Lex, then he crumbled, visibly in pain.

"Clark! ... tell me what is wrong?…Clark!," shouted Lex, and then he saw how the kryptonian passed out.

Lex, contemplated the limb body of Clark, and for a moment, he toyed with the idea of using more of that green powder on him, considering how dagerous Clark could be, but at the end, he could not do it, since the happy memories of their childhood years came to his mind like a tornado. Instead, he left him lying on the floor, and started to walk slowly through the maze of halls, in order to be in front of the only door he could think it would be worthed to knock.

* * *

Bruce wake up with a stir, and whispered her name. He looked around, and his frenzy only escalated when he watched the empty bed. He looked for her across the chamber, and then found her in the corner, with only her chiton on, praying, and he breath again, and stood there contemplating her in silence, until she got out of her trance and looked back at him.

"Bruce," she said smiling, and got up, "I did not want to wake you up, you looked so tired, although the chair must had been uncomfortable … What do you say if we go and try to get some breakfast?" she continue while looping her arm with his, leading him out of the chamber. For a moment, Bruce felt like he was in a dream, living a situation he always fantasized, and when she smiled at him, it was as if all the chaos around them had vanished.

"After all we still have a war to fight", she said casually and then he stopped, making Diana turned and face him, "Are you alright? "

"Diana, you do not need to fight this war, specially now that Clark is out of the equation," he said deadpan but his voice carried his concern.

"What?!"

"I want you to stay here and rest, we have a resistance movement in place, we can handle Darkseid and…"

"Absolutely not!"

"Diana, listen to me…"

"No! This mission was appointed to me by my gods, is my people whom are suffering Bruce. Themyscira is under a siege, and even if the siege is up, Ares will not rest until he inflect has much hurt to my sisters and my mother as he possibly can, that without considering that my father is imprison inside the Phantom zone."

"Diana…"

"Are you underestimating me?"

"No, but Ares is one of the most dangerous beings I have ever seen, besides your battle with Clark left you in bad shape and…," he stopped himself before saying what his heart intended to scream, that he was afraid of losing her, that he could resist many tortures, but the fact that she could be in danger, would drive him to the edge.

"Bruce, do not be afraid for me… be afraid for those who opposed to me…", she said and Bruce looked at her for the first time, not as the idealised version of her that he always played on his mind: the beautiful girl, almost like an angel that came in his dreams to calm his sorrows, but as a formidable warrior, relentless, fierce. The silence between them became like a crystal wall that kept growing every minute. She started to put on again her armour that was placed on a chair, Bruce should have taken the armour off for her the night before, and the thought made her blush. She put the armour on under the vigilant gaze of Bruce who remained immobile as a statue.

She was about to exit the chamber, but stopped before him, and asked defiant. "Are you with me?"

He looked at her azure eyes piercing at his soul. "Always," he replied without even thinking, and as she smiled at him, he realized how much she had a hold on his heart. He started to close the gap between them, softly putting his hands around her shoulders, and turned her around, so she was almost eye-to-eye with him. They were so close, he could see all the beautiful shades of blue in her eyes, and when he watched her lips, he was drawn to them, he was about to kiss her, as he dreamt so many times, tossing to oblivion all his doubts… when the door of the chamber abruptly opened.

"Sorry to interrupt you love birds…but I have an almost dead kryptonian a couple of doors down and a little help will be useful," said Lex, and started to walk out of the room.

"Where is he?," asked Diana, the magic of the moment she shared with Bruce already broken.

"Take the first hall to the left he is inside the second cell on the right, the door is a little ajar."

They looked at each other briefly before Diana stormed out of the room, quickly followed by Bruce. Diana was so fast, she arrived first at the cell where Clark was kept, looking at his limp body lying on the floor, Diana kneeled next to him, and started to gentle move him.

"Kal, can you hear me?"

Clark opened his eyes and looked at her, recognizing her face clearly, for the first time he knew what he was suppose to do, and he grabbed her by the collar.

"Kal… I'm not here to hurt you… I just want to help … please do not let the fear get the best of you."

Clark closed his eyes, and let her go.

"Diana, I do know what came over me, I'm very confused."

"Is okay Kal, everything is going to be fine."

Bruce entered to the cell in the exact moment, just to see Diana comforting Clark, embracing him tenderly, and although, he knew she was just trying to be helpful, he could not help the stupid jealousy that sting his heart. He stood in the background hidden in the shadows watching the scene.

"Kal, we will get you out of these chains."

"The green powder, it makes me feel sick and weak."

"We will remove it then."

"No!," said Lex.

"Then how are you going to help him?" Asked Diana, but as Lex did not give her any response, she decided to act, "I'm tired of this," she said and broke the chains. The minute she did that, Bruce was next to Clark with his sword around his neck.

"If you do much as just breathe in the wrong direction, I will make you regret it until the last day of your life."

"I will not need to move to end you," replied Clark greeting his teeth, feeling again the blade of Bruce's sword about to pierce his flesh, and then he continued, "but I will not do it. I'm confused, and tired, but I do not want to hurt anyone." He concluded and the blade stopped from piercing.

"We are here to help you," replied Diana looking displeased at Bruce, but he was not looking at her, his eyes were cold and fixed in Clark. However, when Diana gently took his hand to move away the sword from Clark's neck, he did not resist her.

"Clark, can you walk?" asked Diana.

"I think so," he said but as he stumbled, Bruce was the one who helped him to get up.

"Lex, we cannot possibly leave Kal here, do you have some place else where he can rest?" asked Diana again.

"Yes."

"Take us there, Luthor," ordered more than asked Bruce.

They installed Clark on a chamber, but when Diana was about to leave, Clark took her hand.

"Diana…thanks for believing in me."

"You have nothing to thank, you are my friend. I will always believe in you… Why don't you get some sleep, we will come around and see you later."

Once outside the chamber, Lex, lingered in there, visibly agitated.

"I don't feel comfortable leaving him alone in there, he can escape, or worst," stated Lex.

"Worst?" asked Diana perplexed.

"Kill us in our sleep," replied Lex bitterly.

"Kal will never…he is our friend," she pledged.

"Until he remembers that, is hard to trust in him," concluded Lex.

Diana turned around looking at Bruce for support, but he stood still and impassive, with a look that was inscrutable behind the mask.

"I will order a guard to be here at all times," continued Lex, much to Diana's astonishment.

"If he wants to leave the chamber, that will not stop him," she reproached him.

"There is always that green powder," retorted Lex

"That was your plan all along, kill him?" asked Diana visibly taken aback.

"No, but he is unstable, and that make him dangerous," answered Lex nervously.

"Kal will prove you wrong," concluded Diana leaving furiously.

"Diana, wait… you know Bruce, your girlfriend has quite a temper…" said Lex turning to Bruce, but he had vanished, " Great, now I'm talking to myself!" exclaimed Lex throwing his arms to the air.

* * *

**War room**

How many hours had passed? She did not know, she took refugee inside the chamber Lex provided for her, and pray again to her gods, hoping to get an answer about how to face her current predicament, hoping to have a solution on how to defeat Darkseid, liberate his father from prison and end the siege of Themyscira. She was deep in her prayers when one of the guards knocked at the door and asked her if she would follow him to the war room.

When she entered, she found it crowded, all the resistance leaders were there, reunited around the large and handsome table from Lex's hideout, that serve usually as a dinning room and in this case doubled as a war room. Diana heard the whispers from the green lanterns, all dressed with their distinct uniform, and saw among others Alfred, but Bruce was no where to be seen. However, Lex was already at end of the table, he spotted her and immediately made her a signal to come over, she felt obliged to have a courtesy with her host, specially after their brief discussion and started to walk her way among the crowed space, while the resistance leaders looked at her with a mix of awe and confusion. Lex smiled at her when he saw her near and signalled her to take a seat, next to him, in the right side of the table. As she sat, she felt the piercing gaze of two pair of eyes of the green lanterns, one that looked a just a couple of years older than her, of dark skin, and other with a peculiar face that resembled a wild board.

She noticed with astonishment, that she was the only female there, and in that moment, the realization of why her mother always referred to the continent as "patriarch world" down to her.

Lex who had been quiet until that moment, tapped the cup on his hand and everybody went silent. It was clear for her that Lex enjoyed that kind of treatment, and although his face was serious, his eyes sparkled. The lanterns and the other leaders discussed the recent developments on the resistance movement, and the capture of Kal.

Apparently, the resistance was growing and there were many groups hidden in different places, however, they were on verge of some kind of breakthrough from Lex, and that was the reason why they decided to have this meeting: to finally come up with a plan that will result in the definitive triumph of the resistance.

"We need to strike now, the assault to the Metropolis' castle, was a success," mentioned John, the dark skin lantern with enthusiasm.

"What kind of success are we talking about? We are still in hiding, and that thing you stole is useless," replied Lex to John, visibly upset.

"Useless? I thought you could reverse engineering it."

"I can't," admitted Lex, and Diana could feel the collectible disappointment from all the resistance leaders.

"And you are supposed to be the greatest mind of our time? This must be a joke," spat John with bitterness.

"Careful there, remember whose land are you in," replied Lex upset.

"The last time I have checked no patricide can inherit his parent's land," John replied angry, and in that moment, Lex withdrew his sword.

The remaining green lanterns all rise and withdraw their swords too. The room went silent and the air was charge with so much hatred, Diana feared that at any moment a massacre would unfold. Bruce contemplated the scene from a corner, hidden in the shadows, and waited, but with his hand in the hilt of his sword, ready for any attack. Diana rose from her seat, and the tension broke for a moment, as if a spell had been cast that would annulated the anger due her mere presence.

"Divided we fall. There is no room for petty fights or insults, we must look beyond our differences and focus in our common goal."

"Who are you lady?," replied John whim had lowered his sword but was still livid.

"Am I Diana of Themyscira."

"I do not know why are you here, but…."

"Diana is my guest. She is the princess of Themyscira, " interjected Lex, putting his sword away.

"Look, your highness, we are about to face war, I have watched too many of my fellow lanterns die, is the blood of our people whom have put the invaders at bay, and I will not take orders or advise from someone who obviously does not know nothing about battle," replied John, who distrusted any allies from Lex.

Everybody looked expectantly at Diana, and there was another pregnant silence, Bruce was about to speak, but then he heard her voice.

"I have any doubts about your expertise in battle, but you cannot presume to know my skills as a warrior just by looking at me. However, we are not here to discuss that, but to come together with a plan on how to defeat Darkseid, and cease this war for once and all, can you at least agree with me on that?"

"Yes," replied reluctantly John, and sat again, his previous anger receded. A collectible sigh could be hear, as everybody else in the room put away their swords, but then as all the leaders took a seat, the man with a wild boar face, looked at Diana directly in the eyes.

"And what do you propose?," asked Kilowog, and now every single leader were looking at Diana expectantly.

"If we do confront Darkseid in an open battle many of our soldiers will die, since we are greatly outnumber, and our forces although loyal, are still scarce. However, if we infiltrate behind the enemy lines and destroy Darkseid, we may have a chance. His army depends too much on him as a leader, they do not have a proper second in command, and leaderless they will disband, his allies will now be powerless and we could take them down more easily, since no reinforcements will come to their aide."

"That is madness!," interjected John.

"Listen to me without prejudice for a moment, if we do this now we will still have the element of surprise. Darkseid, thinks nothing of the inhabitants of this planet, he believes he can come and conquer as he wishes, because to him we are all but inferiors, he will not expect us to go and try something like this."

"And now you expect to find among us, someone who despise his own life enough, to seek dead in a strange land?," replied John, starting to loose his temper again.

"I was not asking for volunteers. I will go myself," replied calmly Diana, while she sat again.

"It's suicidal, I tell you now, besides, Darkseid lives in another planet, we have no way to get in there," said John rising from his seat again.

" I happen to have a device that can get me there."

"You were at Apokolips?" asked Kilogow visibly surprised.

"Yes."

"You liked so much you wish to return?" asked John still in disbelieve.

"No, but is the only way I see we can end this."

"How could you managed to escape?" questioned again Kilowog, already interested in the princess' plan.

"The gods helped me."

"I will pray that they help you now…as crazy as the idea sounds, there is something in your conviction girl, that made me believe is possible to succeed," concluded Kilowog, among the smiles of the others lanterns, John and Lex included. Everybody seemed agreeable and for a moment, the room was in peace, but then a voice was heard from the far corner of the room.

"I disagree," said solemnly Bruce stepping away from the shadows, and everybody turned to him, "Your plan has a fault."

Diana recognized immediately his voice. He could see her frustration and confusion as he approached the centre of the table, but he ignored that.

"You have no backup, if something happens to you, who will carry on with the plan?", Bruce asked looking at her directly into the eyes, his look hard as steel.

"I will not perish. I'm immortal," replied Diana trying to remain calm, but starting to put a dent in the arms of the chair.

"You are mistaken immortality with invulnerability. Anybody can be kill, you included," replied icily Bruce, trying to ignore the pain the sole idea of seeing her hurt or dead would inflect him.

"I will not fail."

"Again you offer no guarantees," replied Bruce dead pan, but his heart was pounding.

"I have my sword, given to me by the gods, a weapon so powerful that could kill immortals."

"What if this formidable weapon you claim to have fails, then what? Are you going to pray to your gods for help, would they give it to you, are they even listening?" asked Bruce relentlessly, among the whispers of the surprised lanterns and an upset Diana, who rose from her seat, her eyes with a fiery look, but her voice still stern.

"Your doubts are nothing but assumptions."

"Maybe, but we have so much at stake we cannot take any chance."

"So what would you suggest instead?," interjected Kilowog.

"She should not go alone."

"You already have somebody in mind," stated Kilowog looking at Bruce with curiosity.

"Yes."

"And who would that be?," asked John intrigued.

"Me," replied Bruce icily but his eyes never left Diana's face, which transfix from anger to surprise to pain in an instant.

"You are a mortal, you will perish on that land… besides your people needs you here," replied Diana, all her spite gone.

"Batman has a point, and although, this was your idea, is not only for you to decide, we will vote," concluded Kilowog.

As they raised their hands, it was clear Diana was out voted.

"Your highness you will go on this mission along with Batman here. You will departure at dawn, be ready," concluded Kilowog.

Diana's face grew serious, and simply nodded, hastily going for the door, Bruce wanted to follow her, but was stop by Lex.

"It will be better if you left me more of that green powder, without her near I'm not sure if I will be able to control Clark."

"I don't have more."

"I don't believe you."

"That is your problem."

"You cannot leave me here with that monster."

"I thought he was your friend, you dear almost brother, isn't that how you call him."

"When he is out of his mind, he is not longer Clark, he is an annihilating machine that recognizes no one."

"Maybe he is more clever than you think, since he distrusts you."

Bruce left the war room and strolled the halls looking for Diana, when Alfred intercepted him.

"Master Bruce, a word."

"Not now Alfred."

"Now, your highness," said Alfred, his voice as neutral as ever, but as commander as when he was twelve, Bruce followed him.

"What do you want Alfred?"

"I know the reason you drilled the princess was to persuade her to quit that dangerous endeavour, and while I applaud your efforts, I will be a poor counsellor if I let you forget your main obligations: before the next full moon, you will turn 18. You need to be at Gotham then, present in the flesh among witness for the hearing of your father's will."

"I do not see why. Gotham's court is dissolved; everybody is at prison, dead, or an ally to the Seneschal. My father's will means nothing to them," said Bruce dismissively.

"On the contrary, it means everything. Once you reach the primary condition of your father's will there is not need for the court's avail, you birth right will be validated, but you need to be present and alive."

"You do not think I can defeat Darkseid? "

"If someone can defeat Darkseid and his minions is you, master Bruce, you are a prince and a warrior."

"What kind of prince am I? My people will not follow me. I have failed them, and my realm is consumed by corruption, poverty and tyranny."

"Then rise above that. Prove them you are not only their prince by right but their prince at heart, become the hero they need, and they will follow you."

"Gotham needs me but not as their prince, but as Batman."

"Batman is a symbol, you are a reality. Gotham needs Bruce Wayne as their prince, not more masks. I just want to stress the fact that you need to do what is the best for your people. Think about it… Stay alive and return to us safe, master Bruce."

* * *

Diana entered her chamber and fasted the safe. She was livid, it was not the discussion with the lanterns what drove her mad, but Bruce's obvious doubts regarding her leadership and quest, his cold demeanour, nearly made her lost her patience. However, there was something deep in her hurt, a more delicate thing, that until now she had barren, the fear that Bruce will not consider her sufficient and that more than anything, hurt her.

There were still hours until dawn, and since she was too angry to sleep, she decided to go and said goodbye to Kal. She found him, immobile in bed, in the dark chamber, for a moment she thought he was asleep, and was about to leave when he heard him.

"Don't leave," he whispered.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" asked Diana sweetly with a smile.

"No, I was not sleeping," replied Kal softly.

"You need to rest."

"I feel better, my mind is more clear now, less fuzzy."

She strolled down the chamber and tried to stir the fire on the chimney.

"Is something bothering you?," asked Kal.

"Why do you ask?"

"You seemed troubled," he replied with earnest.

She gave him a weak smile, and turning around to face him while the soft light of the fire dimly illuminate her features.

"I came to say goodbye."

"Oh," Clark felt as if a dagger were piercing his heart, "Are you leaving, when, where?"

"I'm on a mission, a should leave at dawn… maybe this will be the last time we will see each other."

"The mission is so dangerous you think you may not come back?"

"No, but if I succeed, I will go back to my land and stay in there for the rest of eternity."

"I'm going to miss you. You are the only friend I have here."

"That is not true, Kal…I wish I had my lasso of truth with me, so I can make you see we are your friends, and we wish you no harm."

"I know you are my friend, and as for the others I'm not so sure… Lex… I have confusing memories about him, but the one in the mask, looks at me with begrudge."

"He just wants to be sure you are fine, that is all."

"You mean that I'm not going to try to kill any of you again."

"We both know you never really tried."

"It was difficult… I did not want to hurt you, but at the same time, something larger than me compel me to kill you ... I was torn between hate and …something else."

"It all will pass…"

"Diana, can you tell me what is your mission? ..." Clark looked at her hesitation and added a hurry apology," Sorry, I guess is confidential."

"I will always trust you Kal…To prove it to you I am going to tell you: My mission is to destroy Darkseid."

The mention of the name stirred in Clark, more memories, and slowly his clouded mind started to unfold, he was unsure about the details with all nebulous memories in his head, but he knew Darkseid was the one responsible .

Kal clutched his fists. "I think I can help you with that, let me go with you."

"You are still recovering," said Diana surprised by the huge of hate that Kal's eyes reflected.

"Diana, for a while my memories had been coming to me like dreams and nightmares, and as time passes, it has been more clear to me that he used me as a weapon. I am tired to be somebody's pawn in a game I do not understand. At least this way, I will be forging my own destiny."

"Kal, I'm not sure…"

"Why?"

"Your mental state is not good enough," replied a baritone voice from the darkness.

"Bruce!," said Diana surprised to see the dark knight almost beside her, even with her acute senses she did not detect his presence before.

"Let's not sugar coat this, you are powerful and you could be useful, but until recently you were brainwashed and almost killed us. And although, revenge is a good motive, in your case that is not good enough, this mission is already highly risky and dangerous."

"I do understand your doubts but you cannot prohibit me anything," replied Clark getting up from the bed in a blink.

"Do you want to bet?" replied Bruce, his hand quickly going for something on his utility belt.

"Do you want to get hurt?" answered Clark clenching his fists.

"Enough!" shouted Diana getting between them, and her voice took Clark out of his previous anger, while Bruce stand still, but hide inside of his palm, a tube with more of the green powder.

"Kal will come with us," she said with resolution, looking straight at Bruce into the eyes, he turned around and left the room, his cape billing like a ghostly figure behind him.

"Thank you Diana, you will not regret this."

"I'm sure of that Kal. Get ready, we leave at dawn," she was leaving the chamber when she saw him, waiting for her outside, his eyes beaming with fury, but his body rigid as a statute. For a moment, she thought of ignoring him, but it was useless, so she went to him.

"This is a mistake, Clark is unstable, he can get back to his previously brainwashed state at any minute," he said in a detached voice, but Diana could feel his anger boiling inside.

"I disagree, I think he is mentally strong enough to fight any attack," she replied in a soft voice but equally firm and defiantly.

"Why do you have on much faith in him?"

"He is my friend."

"Is that all he is to you?" He asked and despite himself, the jealousy was pounding on his heart.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind. I will not take him with us. He will be an obstacle and a potential hazard."

"We need backup. Besides he could take us directly to Darkseid."

"What do you have in mind?" replied Bruce now intrigued.

"Darkseid possibly already knows we captured Kal, but he believes he still controls him."

Bruce's eyes sparkled, understanding her plan. "That is too risky."

"This mission already is. Now, if you do not feel comfortable with the way things are, you can always stay, this a volunteer mission and you do not have any obligation to follow any rule," replied Diana, still upset from his previous commentaries and intrusion.

"You are right about that, I will follow my instincts if I feel him or you are endangering the mission," Bruce concluded and left, living her staring at an empty space, trembling with frustration.

 


	27. Dunes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana and Brue felt into a trap by a friendly foe.

The grim spectacle that was Apokolips was in all its glory in front of them, a large and desert land without a single living creature on sight. They didn't know where to begin their search. Their journey using the mother box, had been complicated, since Bruce distrusted Clark, and Diana found herself in the middle of an animosity she did not know how to handle. But she knew their world was set on fire, and their destiny was to thrive on it, even if it meant to fight with a godlike being in the middle of a planet made of darkness and pain, a place where everything was so contrived, that dead seemed to be the only escape.

She looked at Bruce, trying to figure out what he was thinking or if he was in pain after their interstellar trip, however, he looked as stoic as ever, only now he was ignoring her, and she knew it was because he resented her from accepting Clark into their mission.

"Do you recognize this place?" asked Diana to Clark.

"No, but I can see the Apokolips' palace from here, it is just a few miles ahead, if we fly in that direction ", he said pointing south,"we can reach it in a couple of hours."

"We will bring a lot of attention that way, there must be Parademos patrolling the sky," pointed out Bruce.

"We have two ways to tackle this, either we hide or we head directly to Darkseid, I rather the later," expressed Clark getting visible annoyed.

"And how exactly that is going to work?" asked again Bruce with a hint of sarcasm.

"You can pretend to be my prisoners, that way the Parademons and the other guards would not put a resistance against us and we can go directly to Darkseid."

"I do not like that idea," expressed Bruce deadpan.

"Bruce, we are already on enemy territory, what could possibly be more dangerous than this? At least that way we would be close to Darkseid soon," interjected Diana.

Bruce did not say a word, but he looked at her nearly offended, and started to walk away in the direction Clark previously signalled, soon getting out of sight behind a nearby dune. Diana was perplexed, she should be the one upset by his cold shoulder treatment, however, as Bruce was entering faster into a hostile territory, her anger subsided and she started to go after him, but Clark held her arm, stopping her.

"What are you doing?" asked Diana to Clark perplexed by his gesture.

" I can get to him faster than you," he replied getting ready to fly, but she stopped him.

"He does not trust you!" she said louder than she intended, which surprised Clark, "besides I will be worried sick, like that time when you went looking for him in the Gotham Woods… actually it will be worst now," she said the last part almost as a whisper.

"Why?" Clark looked at her confused by her intensity.

"You would not understand," she said looking sad at him, and started to walk into the desert, in the same direction Bruce walked just moments before. Clark was about to follow her, when the sand started to raise and twist, forming a whirlpool that enveloped him. He inspected the sand with his x-ray vision and found it was more like a living organism, using his super breath he tried to dissipate it to no avail, he was about to use another of his powers, when the whirlpool, suddenly disappeared, and with it, Diana was gone too.

* * *

To Diana's astonishment, Bruce's footprints in the sand had vanished, leaving her to ponder how if it had only passed a few minutes there was not trace of him. "Bruce, Bruce!" she started to shout, but only the silence of the desert answered her, worried, she ran in the direction she thought he would have gone, when something grabbed her leg and dragged her down. She tried to fly but the sand kept pouring over her; in the middle of the grainy rain she saw a tentacle and the mouth of a beast with rows of fangs ready to devour her. Using her sword she managed to cut the beast's tentacle, but to her surprise two more appeared in its place, like a hydra.

She tried to think in a solution as the tentacles kept suffocating her, the thought of Bruce gave her the strength to fly one more time as high as she could, snapping the tentacles around her ankle. For a moment, she got free and was about to fly higher, when one of the tentacles got the hold of her foot, capturing her sandal which slipped from her feet, gripped furiously by the animal. Without the sandal she lost her balance and started to descend in a rapid spiral.

Diana was preparing for a harsh landing on the sand, when to her surprise she crashed in a pair of firm and strong arms, that where holding her in a gentle and protective manner. She opened her eyes, only to found Bruce's icy blue eyes looking at her with worry.

"Bruce" she said breathlessly. He did not reply; instead, he held her tight and ran away from the beast, with her in his arms. He only stopped his race when they reached a large dune, and then delicately placed her on the sand, he gave her a quick look trying to find any serious wounds, and once he was sure she had none, he stood up, turning his back at her. Diana, felt how her worry was subsiding only to leave an enormous frustration, as lately with Bruce. She was about to question him on his whereabouts, but to her surprise, he turned around facing her, for once visible upset.

"You became reckless and did not study the surroundings," he reproached.

Diana looked at him outrageous, "I was worried about you! You disappeared…in an instant."

"Where is Clark?" he asked brusquely in an icy tone.

"I asked him to wait for me there."

"And that fool left you wander by yourself in the middle of this desert? ... No wonder Darkseid brainwashed him so easily."

"I can take care of myself."

"Sure," he said with voice laced with sarcasm.

"Would you please drop that attitude? We need to get to Darkseid's palace, and find Clark."

"We do not have time for that, look!," replied Bruce pointing at the horizon as two figures began to appear in the air.

"Parademos!"

Diana stood up in a swift movement while Bruce toss a batarang that hit right in the middle of the forehead of one of the Parademos, the wound made the beast loose control of the flying machine and crashed in the sand. The other Parademon, approached dangerously close to Diana, trying to hit her with the engine of its flying machine however, she jumped and in a single movement, cut the flying machine in half, making the Parademon jump, and the machine crashed and exploded.

The beast tried to attack her, but it was not match for her and with a round kick and a stroke of her blade, it was out.

"That was subtle," said Bruce as he approached her.

At Diana's annoyed expression he repressed a smirk, and add in a more serious tone, "We must get going, I'm sure more Parademos will come."

"What about Clark?" She replied with apprehension.

"After that explosion? I'm sure he will find us," said Bruce.

Diana looked at him with worry, and started to walk in the direction Clark previously pointed out, however, as her walk became increasingly uncomfortable, she took off her only remaining shoe. While doing that, Bruce stopped and contemplated the fallen aircraft that had landed in the sand.

"Wait! Maybe we can use that." He said going to the machine.

"That?! Is it not broken?"

"This one did not explode."

"And do you know how to use it?"

"How difficult could it be if one of those beast was controling it?" he expressed with smug.

Diana looked at him sceptic, but Bruce was determinated; he examine the machine and tried to memorize every single detail about its board, trying to find its logic, when a whist of wind hit his back.

"Bruce, the sands are moving we must get out of here!"

Bruce tried to start the machine, but nothing seemed to work, seeing that Diana, gently shove him for the board and started to whisper a prayer..

"Athena give me the knowledge to understand this machine," she whispered while closing her eyes and then he looked astonished how she found something that seemed to make the machine roar, with clumsiness she managed to drive it. Together they flew away to Darkseid's Palace, and after them, the sand rose higher and higher, closing behind them as a giant fist ready to crush them.

* * *

They arrived tumbling into the outskirts of Apokolips, Darkseid's palace was yet still far away but form there they could see it surrounded by pits of fire and hashes, while hundreds of beings of humanoids forms, dresses in rags were enslaved, working endlessly building war machines. They hide behind some rusty structures, and what Diana saw from there shocked her, the way those creatures were treated was cruel and vicious, subjected to a harsh work, constantly beaten and humiliated. She felt the need to free those pathetic beings from that torture, even despite the fact that they were trying not to draw any attention. She could not refrain anymore, and charged against a couple of Parademons that were guarding the lowlies and knocked them down, not delivering any mortal stroke even as she believed they deserved it. She broke the lowlies chains and happy with herself she smiled at those beings, but her satisfaction soon turned into horror when she saw the lowlies' eyes: blank lifeless orbs contemplated her, their faces were devoted of any emotion. They kept marching towards Darkseid's palace, doing their previous jobs as if their chains had not been broken. At first, she tried to drag them away from their formation, but it was useless, they kept going back and walking in the same direction, at the same rhythm, more machines than sentient beings.

Bruce contemplated the scene, without intervene, at first because it was all so sudden and later because he knew it was unnecessary, Diana stopped trying to free the lowlies, and was in the middle of their group, standing deathly still. Gently he touched her arm, and as she turned to face him, he could see her eyes glistening with tears. Then she shook her head and looked at him.

"We must stop Darkseid. We can't allow this to happen on earth," she said to him, but it sounded more like something she said to herself.

Bruce nodded, and saw her so devastated, that he could not help himself and offered her his hand, which she took as a lifeline, refusing to let him go, and together they ran into the darkness. Although, he tried to forget the burning sensation of her fingers interviewed with his, and kept repeating inside his head his sensei's mantra, it made nothing to placate his heart; because when she was around him, it was as if the sun has lighted inside of him, vanishing all his darkness.

* * *

Diana's commanding presence and beauty had always struck Bruce as an anomaly, the reason why as a child he thought she was an angel. However, inside the bleak and cruel Apokolips, he had to admit her astonishing looks were a disadvantage as she really stood out, due her skin's faint glow, and her golden armour which seemed to capture every ray of light that could possibly be, attracting an unwanted attention. Bruce saw by the corner of his eyes, how a small squad of vicious creatures started to come towards them, and quickly wrapped Diana on his cape and almost dragged her under a pile of rubbish beside them.

The space was very limited, and Bruce in his effort to both concealing and protecting Diana was squeezing her against the already reduce space. Only after Diana fidgeted under his body, he realized this was the closest they have been ever since they were kids, for a moment, he went totally immobile, not because of the threatens around them, but because he was trying very hard, not to let her see his own passion.

Diana for her part was surprised by his sudden actions. Bruce's attitude disconcerted her, he was distant and detached, rude must of the times, but then there were glimpses of a different version of him, more similar to the boy she meet before, whose memory she cherished for so many years. She looked at him in the eyes trying to find again some trace of his humanity, and what she saw moved her, his ice blue eyes were shinning and bright, clear to her even in the darkness, and they were kind and caring. She smiled, and as her gaze went down his face, she noticed the hint of a deep scar on his left cheek. Imagining the pain he endured, she reach out and touched his face as a reflex to comfort him, he froze completely and closed his eyes, and soon her touch transform into a caress. When he opened his eyes again, Diana was surprised by the intensity of his gaze; if Kal's blue eyes were placid lakes, Bruce's were like blue flames that equally attracted and scared her, because his only presence made her heart skip a beat, and felt an array of new emotions like she never felt before. Even at that moment, his silence seemed to speak volumes to her, as if they share a secret language only known by them. For an instant, Diana forgot where they were, drawn to him as a magnet, and cooped in both her hands his face, his eyes bore on her, as fire, and she saw the pain and fragility in him, but also tenderness and affection.

But the spell was broken when the sound of voices became more clear and loud. Diana saw how Bruce's gaze transform from gentle and passionate to cold and focus, the mask of the warrior was on and gone were any warm or sweetness on him. She turned still again, her hands left his face and went for the hilt of her sword. Bruce had his own hand on a batarang, ready to toss the thing out at the slightest threat. Then they heard footsteps approaching and a mechanical sound of something above them.

"Master, there is something here."

"Where?" Diana and Bruce looked at each other shocked in a silent understanding, as they recognized Clark's voice. Both held their breath and tried to stay unmoved.

"Over there, master."

Clark landed near the dark lump that stand out of the rubbish, he just have to take a glance at it with his x-ray vision and he knew Bruce and Diana were hidden in there. He understood what they were trying to do, and decided to go along with it.

"This?" he said while kicking Bruce's back not very lightly, "Oh, it's nothing…Just an old rag. Look around again, they must be somewhere, remember I want them alive and unscarred."

"Yes," replied a Parademon, and with that the patrol was gone, leaving Clark hovering above that pile of rubbish. Bruce kept holding his breath while his hand still on the batarang, looking expectantly at Diana, who was quiet and immobile, but her eyes showed a mix of confusion and disappointment, and to Bruce that was more painful than any kick Clark could give him.

"There are gone, you can come out," said Clark almost playfully.

Clark contemplated the lump, but saw not movement.

"Really, they are gone…trust me," said again Clark, now worried about them, "Diana, please."

Bruce looked at Diana's pleading eyes, and decided to get out of their hide out.

"I'm glad you are fine," said Clark smiling to Diana and then turning to Bruce he rephrased, "both of you."

"How did you get here?" asked Diana, while Bruce stood next to her, looking at Clark sceptical.

"While I was waiting for you to return. A couple of Parademos that were doing an aerial patrol found me. I only have to convince them that I had just returned from earth and that I needed to return to Darkseid's palace. They obey me without question, but when we arrived here, the guards were on high alert, apparently two dangerous intruders were on the loose," he said and looked at them with mirth, only to found Bruce disapproving gaze, "Anyway, we do not have much time, we need to move fast and soon. Come on Diana follow me, I can take Bruce."

"I cannot fly anymore Kal"

"What happened?... It does not matter. I will take you both," said Clark ready to take off.

"Certainly not," replied Bruce deadpan.

"Bruce, we are already here, and we have a mission to fulfil," concurred Diana.

Bruce was about to protest when they heard the loud noise of a roaring machine, they all turned around and looked how large war machine hovered above them, and from it a muscular long-haired man descended, and once in the ground he walked straight to them.

"Well, what do we have here? The return of the prodigal son," he said once he encountered the trio.

"Kalibak," said Clark with contempt as a greeting, not a hint of joy in his voice.

"Father thought it was a good idea to let me in charge of the production of our war machines, and the defence of Apokolips in case those scum from New Genesis decided to attack again, but I could not resist coming here, after I heard you had returned." He looked at Bruce with curiosity but then his eyes fell on Diana and his gaze turned lascivious.

"Who is this?" Said Kalibak approaching dangerously to Diana, whom was about to reply when Kal interjected.

"They are my prisoners, I was about to take them back to the palace for interrogation."

Kalibak contemplated the scene and he found something odd about it; neither of the prisoners had any chains or handcuffs, and they even had their swords on them.

"I will interrogate her. I'm sure I will have fun," responded Kalibak dismissively and walked towards Diana.

"No!," said Kal with passion and abruptly put himself near Diana. His attitude only made Kalibak more suspicious and he continued to surround Diana with a predatory smile.

"You want her for yourself? You can have her after I'm done with her."

"I'm no one's property," replied Diana offended, going for the hill of her sword. Kalibak saw that and smiling he tried to grab her arm, but before he knew, she slapped him with the back of her hand with such force he stumbled.

"Feisty...just the way I like it. You are going to learn to obey." He was about to attack Diana, when Kal intervened.

"No, Kalibak. I need them unharmed. Let me take them back to the palace."

Kalibak hesitated, he knew Kal was laying, and considered to kill them right there, or sent the alarm and let the Parademons do the dirty job, but he was intrigued by the woman and specially by Kal's reaction, so he decided to play along for the moment.

"Alright, but you cannot transport them like that, flying them in your arms is…undignified. Come, let's get inside one of our close range ships, in there the Parademos will escort them and we can discuss where have you been," he replied, at the same time he pushed some buttons of a bracelet he had on his left arm and in seconds a small ship appeared in the sky. The war machine descended gracefully in an open space next to them, while Bruce, Diana and Clark exchange a glance of confusion and worry, which didn't escape Kalibak's perception.

As half of a dozen Parademos surrounded Diana and Bruce, Clark changed his position behind them and held both their arms.

"Get inside," he said while pushing them gently. Both of them comply, and they walked inside the ship under the vigilant gaze of Kalibak.


	28. Double-edged sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark, Diana and Bruce confronts Darkseid with mixed results

**Chapter 28**

**The truth is a double-edged sword**

Kaliback was pensive. He never trusted Kal's conversion. "Too easy", he often said to Steppenwolf, but Darkseid's lieutenant disagreed, "You are just jealous," he replied.

Kaliback was indeed envy of Kal, but he thought his emotions could not cloud his judgment, and deep down he knew the kryptonian sooner or later will turn against them and he waited for the moment to arrive, to prove everyone wrong, specially his father, who treated Kal as another son. Seeing the way Kal behaved around that woman, he knew she would be his key to get him.

Once they landed, on the top of the tallest tower of the Apokolips' palace, he asked the Parademons to escort Diana and Bruce away from Kal.

"Where are they taking them?" asked Kal to Kaliback.

"She will go with granny goodness. Him will join the lowlies."

"Wait, I need them!"

"To what end exactly?" replied Kaliback, looking at Kal's face completely transfixed with anxiety. Kaliback smiled satisfied, knowing Kal only needed a little push to reveal himself as a traitor and he took advantage of that, "You want her so bad, eh? It's a pity because father wants her for his furies and I do not know… maybe something else… but I'm planning to have her first, you can watch if you want, I would even let you have the spoils."

"Don't you dare to touch her!" said Clark going for Kalibak's throat, "you are despicable."

"And you are a fool. Parademos, take him and his companions to the dungeons" he ordered pointing at Kal. The beasts were confused and for a moment, they hesitated, but years of using them gave Kaliback enough knowledge to reinforce his command in a way they did not doubt anymore, pleased with himself, he turned around leaving Kal to fence against a battalion of Parademons.

Kal eventually got rid of the Parademons and recovered both Diana and Bruce's swords. Diana broke her chains and was about to help Bruce, but he had already set himself free. Clark gave them their swords and they ran trying to escape from the ship, but more Parademos arrived, pouring in as a plague. They fought against them, for a moment completely outnumbered.

From the distance, Kalibak smiled, contemplating the scene of the vessel flooded by the insane beasts. He smirked at that sight, feeling both satisfied and proud, imagining the way he will present Kal's body to his father. " _After all he had always been unworthy and inferior_ , " he thought, glancing one last time at the ship before entering the palace.

* * *

Inside the ship, a small breach opened in the middle of the swamp of Parademons and Kal swiftly took Diana by the waist and Bruce by the arm and flew with them out of the ship, leaving the beasts behind. A few Parademos flew after him, but Kal got rid of them using his heat vision. Stumbling, he landed abruptly at a balcony. Quickly Bruce left his side, however, Kal stood there near Diana, his hand lingering at the small of her back looking with concern at her. "Are you all right?" he asked .

"Yes," she replied, looking uneasy at the only door in the room, "are we far from Darkseid's control room?"

"Not really", replied Kal, trying to reassure Diana with a smile, but then he heard the faint sound of heavy steps approaching, as drums in the preamble of a battle, and his smile faded.

"What is the fastest way to get there Kal?" asked Diana again, for once too anxious to stay in the large chamber more than the necessary.

Kal hesitated, he tried to scan the walls but to his surprise, he could not see a thing beyond the bricks, his X ray vision was for once useless. Shocked by his recent discovery, he was a second too late before large metal panels descended over each one of the doors and windows inside the chamber, shutting them down. In that precise moment, a faint bittersweet smell, as a mix of almonds and sulphur started to crawled in the room. He immediately felt heaviness in the chest and an almost unbearable pain headache.

"We are trapped," he said genuinely surprised, as a whisper but loudly enough for Diana to hear. He looked at her with apprehension, still stunned by the recent turn of events. She noticed Kal's doubts and decided against surrender herself to those feelings, after all, she was an Amazon, and she was not going to give up, even if the odds seemed to be against them. She held her sword in a defensive stance, near the door, knowing the Parademons soon will be there.

Bruce felt dizzy, the bittersweet smell was stronger, and with every breath, his throat went tight and dry, he approached Clark, who was still stunned. "What is below?" he asked.

"What?" replied Clark, not fully understanding what Bruce pretended to do with that information.

"Focus, Kent! What is below this room?"

Clark made a great effort to use his X vision but his eyes refused to see more than the bricks, he could heard however, the heavy steps of a battalion come closer to the door.

"I can't see, my X-Ray vision is not working."

"Then, use your memory! Remember when you were here the last time, what was below?" he said, in a cold fury that lately seemed to be his second nature.

"I cannot recall! ," he replied frustrated.

Bruce looked at him with disapproval, and immediately used his sword as a leverage trying to lift the stones of the floor from one of the corners, but even as his sword was really strong, the stones were not moving, understanding what he was trying to do, Clark, put his hand on the hilt of the sword, stopping him."It could be more dangerous."

"Here we are already an easy target," Bruce replied, and kept its labour, soaked in sweet, trying to not give up to the pain as the bittersweet smell kept floating on his nostrils, making him feel nauseous.

Clark felt he had directed them into a trap, and as he understood that maybe this was their only way out, he started to pound the floor, both angry and upset, Bruce stopped using his sword as leverage and astonished contemplated how Clark with his bare fist broke the first stone. He went around the chambers to get Diana, and found her close to the door; in a defensive stance, so still she could be mistaken for a statue. He gently touched her shoulder, but she did not move, only whispered, "They are close."

"I know. Come on, Clark found a way out," he replied almost like an order, but with a hint of worry. He gently took her by the waist and conducted her to the hole Clark already had made. Clark, as a cavalier gesture, indicated that she would pass first, and she was about to enter the hole, when Bruce stopped her.

"I will go first. I will let you know when it's safe for you to enter."

"But…" Diana did not finish the sentence, when he disappeared in the hole, the seconds that passed after felt like an eternity to her, there was not a sign of him, as if he had been devoured by an immense darkness. She leaned towards the entrance of the hole, trying to see something, her heart racing with anxiety, as the sound of the footsteps of the Parademons got closer. She feared the worst, when a gauntlet hand appeared in front of her; letting escape a sigh in relief, she took his hand without hesitation.

Bruce help her to get down as gently as he could possibly be, embracing her briefly in his arms, and although the movement only lasted a few seconds, his heart pounded with violence feeling her body so close to him.

"Thank you," she said smiling and he felt as if something warm had ignited inside of him. He was about to say something to her, however, the sound of Clark clearing his throat, took him out of his musings.

"Come on, Darkseid's control room must not be far away, " said Kal almost briskly.

They passed the large and dark hall, with the Parademons still at their heels, but as they continued to enter the corridors of the palace, they found room with a particular light, which Clark seemed thrill to discover, and started to run towards it.

"Kal, wait!"

"Diana, we are close, after that hall is Darkseid's control room," said Clark going to the light, but an iron grip held him for a moment.

"I will not allow your reckless to endanger the mission, we will not run to the light, it could be a trap," said Bruce his look again fierce.

"So what would you suggest?"

"We will enter but not running, we will hide, take cover and then move to the control room. Is it clear?"

"Yes. Now let me go!"

As they arrived in the trophy room, Diana contemplated the large statues of warriors of different eras all of them looked defeated with an expression of horror in their faces. Although the place was ample and luxurious in its own way, it was creepy and made her feel uncomfortable. However, as she passed the statues and tried to hide, something caught her attention: the glittering light of her golden lasso. Immediately she moved closer to it, much to Bruce's despair since he saw her getting further away from him. He was already on edge, the Parademos seemed to have reduced its pace and now they were not near, and that tip him off more about this could be a trap.

"The control room is just a few yards away," mentioned Kal to Bruce, too excited with the prospect of finally reaching the goal of the mission, that for a moment, he got away from hiding, and suddenly a white light embrace them, in the middle of it three figures appeared.

The light shortly blinded Clark, until he managed to distinguish the tall figure in the centre, "Darkseid," he hissed.

"Kal-El, as usual you are efficient. Thanks for bringing our prisoners here…Yes I know they are here. She will serve me well with the Furies, and as for him…" said Darkseid contemplating the place where Bruce was hiding with disdain, "I will think of something useful. Now come out, there is no need to hide."

"No," said Kal with determination and a fierce look in his eyes, "I will not let you hurt them."

"And how exactly are you planning to stop me, son?" replied Darkseid in a condescending tone.

"I'm not your son!"

A dead silence spread into the room, and for a moment, Darkseid's red eyes glow dangerously. "Indeed, you are unworthy of being my son…" he said almost a hint of hurt in his words, "But I'm generous and I will forgive your current insolence if you kill them both and help me conquer the earth."

"I will never do that!" replied Kal boiling his fist, each moment getting angrier.

"Why the sudden change of heart? You already help me to conquer many kingdoms there. It's just a matter to finish what you started."

Guilt washed over Kal, the pain evident in his eyes. Darkseid noted it clearly and smiled inward.

"I was brainwashed," replied Clark, and his own words sound to him pathetic and shallow.

"Really? I remember vividly that you often said it was the only way to bring "peace to that world." Have you forgotten your own words, your own desires, to end for good all the bickering, the petty fights for riches and power? Was that not the reason why you locked all the Olympian gods in the Phantom zone?"

Diana gasped surprised, while Darkseid smirked in a malicious way.

"I guess you never told your friend the whole story. So, allow me…" replied Darkseid, his voice lacing a soft poison tone, "The Panthom zone can only be opened by the descends of the house of El, only them or the disciples of Rao have the key. And Kal is the only one in the universe who embodies both."

"Lies!" interjected Kal almost yelling, "You are a liar!" he shout and flew directly at him, his fist trying to connect with his jaw, and his eyes now turning into a glowing red, and the beams form his eyes deadly pointing at Darkseid. However, another a beam came form Darkseid eyes, deflecting Kal's own beam.

"No Kal-El, you must face the fact that deep down in you despise all mankind, all those mortals that played with your feelings. Don't deny it."

"I'm part of that humanity. I will always defend them, they are my people."

"No, you are not like a normal human, you are different from them, but whatever… maybe one day you will come to your senses," replied Darkseid with utter contempt, and then addressing to Steppenwolf and to Kaliback, said a simple order, "destroy them."

Kalibak smiled, he wanted to fight Kal and toss him to the fire pits of Apokolips, but his father saw his intentions and stopped him, "he is mine," said Darkseid, and then he engaged Kal into a fight that drove them straight to another wing of the palace.

* * *

Kaliback felt again left apart, out of the special bound his father shared with the kryptonian. All his hatred and frustration came again in a tenfold, he was blood thirsty and he saw in Diana the perfect object to unleash his fury. The dark haired Amazon was standing just a few feet away from him, with agility he jumped and soon was in front of her.

"Hello again, I think I own you a lesson," he said while swinging at her his beta cub. However, whenever he swung his beta cub directly at her, she deflected it, which only infuriated him more, angry he swung his cub with all his forces, and usually that would be more than enough to kill an ordinary being, but to his surprise, she stopped him and using his own inertia she tossed him away.

Trembling with anger he step up, and charged against her, in swift movement he had her in the ground, for a moment, Kalibak thought he was victorious, until he felt a piercing pain in his right leg, as he looked down he saw something that left him astonish: blood. For the first time in years he saw himself bleeding and Diana used his shortly lapse of surprise and got up, ready for another attack. He just sneered at her, "I thought on keeping you, but after this," he said pointing at his calf, "I will end you in such a slow and painful way that you will beg me to kill you."

"An Amazon never begs," she said looking at him defiant.

"Great, then you will suffer twice," he said while parrying with her waiting for the exact moment to hit her, but Diana was more agile, and using her lasso, she managed to tight him up.

"How can I stop Darkseid?"

"What you are doing here is useless. Darkseid will prevail one way or another."

"Answer me, the lasso compels you to tell the truth."

"Yeah, but can you deal with it?" he said while holding the lasso with his hands, pulling it and reducing the distance between them, "You can not stop him. Father is no fool, he already has a contingency plan, if he cannot have the earth, nobody would."

"What is his backup plan?" She asked firmly even as she was pulling the lasso on the contrary side.

"He will bombard the whole planet with hell spores, one of those is enough to damage an entire continent, imagine what 50 can do... Your planet will be ashes and dust in seconds," said Kaliback while holding the remains of Diana's lasso and using his extraordinary force he managed to reduce the distance between them until his face was only inches apart from hers.

"How can I stop the bombs?"

"I don't know, the count down is encrypted, only father knows the code," he said and started to laugh, the sound only increased her fury so she kept hit him until he seemed defeated, exhausted she untied him and again looped the lasso to her hip and ran to the control room. She was so focus in stopping the count down, that didn't realise Kaliback had recover and he did not waste a second to blast her. The psy Ray hit her straight in the back and almost instantly an excruciating pain crossed through all her body, so hard she couldn't walk anymore.

"It's amazing that you survive my psy Ray," replied Kaliback already walking next to her, "but soon you will be dead, and will enjoy it," said Kaliback, getting close to her and blasting her again with his rays. Diana was on a excruciating pain, for a moment she thought she was going to pass out, but still with the last of her forces she grabbed her sword and swung against him, more a desperate defence than a strategic move. Seconds later the ray and the pain stopped, although thick drops of an uncertain substance started to pour over Diana's face, blinding her for a second, crawling she got away from Kaliback, but then she heard something else.

A scream, a terrible sound resonated in the whole palace. "My arm!" shouted Kaliback, as he kept looking at the empty space that used to be his arm his face contorted in a mix of absolute surprise and massive fury.

Stumbling she gingerly got up, only to see how Kaliback, charged against her again more as a wild beast than a humanoid being. She was still not strong enough to stop him and his brute force was enough to pin her on the wall, he hit her with vengeance, but she managed knocked him on the ears and send him again to the floor, once he was down she kicked him hard until he did not move any longer. She looked at him and at the pool of blood around him, and felt nauseous, afraid of her own rage; she wiped the blood and sweat of her face and turn away from Kaliback's body as quickly as she could, focusing on the mission, wishing to forget the grim spectacle behind her.

* * *

Sttepenwolf attacked the man in the bat mask, thinking the human will be the easiest one, but he found a warrior that relentlessly kept fighting and whom was intelligent in his strategy. He was in the middle of a hard parrying when he heard the scream, more like a roar of a wounded animal, and frowned, he didn't like that sound, but instantly he put his doubts at rest. His nephew was a ruthless warrior, specially vicious when angry, and after Darkseid's last words he was more than furious, surely the Amazon would feel his wrath, although, he was amazed the girl haven't shout yet.

It was then when Steppenwolf noticed also the subtle change in the batman demeanour, so he decided to use it as another tactic against him, "The girl wouldn't last the fight against my nephew, he is too powerful for her. But you could save her, surrender and I will make sure she will live."

Bruce didn't answer, he heard the primal scream and could not help but to think of her, and how she would be fairing against that monstrous being. He wanted to run to her, although it was almost unbearable for him to watch her wounded, he rather that than contemplate for a moment the dire fact the she could be dead. The sole idea hurt him like thousands daggers through his brain. He parried against Steppenwolf with more vengeance, he wanted him to shut up, to silence all those images of horror he was painting of Diana in pain by Kaliback, but he was loosing, his focus was on her and not in the battle, and his forces kept fading. Then he heard the voice of his sensei, "embrace your darkness", as if he were whispering in his ear, he remembered his own meditation exercises and cleared his min to have only one goal: destroy the enemy in front of him.

Steppenwolf thought for a moment he had figure out how to defeat the dark knight, but he was wrong. The man had found a renewed energy and was fighting even better than before, suddenly Steppenwolf felt a piercing pain on his shoulder and then a lashing sensation came over him on his thighs, soon his vision became blurry and he fell down. The last thing he saw were the piercing blue eyes of the man in the mask of the bat, his look of a cold fury. Steppenwolf smiled, he had underestimated him, he was truly dangerous, and as if to emphasize the point he felt a dagger trough his spinal, and then the silence overcame to him.

* * *

Bruce ran where the sound had come, only to find blood and the debris of the fight. His heart was racing, when he heard her war cry, and relief washed over him, he sprint to her, his wounds suddenly meaningless. He found her fighting a dozen of Parademos, at the entrance of the control room; he was about to join her in the fight, when she spotted him.

"Darkseid plans to bombarded all the earth…we need to stop it," she said in the middle of the fight, "there must be a count down…somewhere…go …fast," she concluded while crushing another Parademons. He didn't ask for more information, he ran straight into the machine room, getting of rid of all the Parademons that went in his way, searching for a count down.

* * *

Clark was trying his best to fight against Darkseid, but he seemed to be more powerful than Kal remembered. Then something happened, something that caught the attention of Darkseid, whom grabbed him by the neck and said, "Your friends are going to find what it feels to fight against a god," and afterwards he tossed him to the other extreme of the palace and then disappeared. Clark felt weak, but decided against to stay down and flew again inside the palace looking for Darkseid.

* * *

The Dark-God entered the control room like a wild saw the figure of the dark knight hovering over one of the machines and send his omega beams in the direction of the intruder, but to his surprise when the smoke vanished he saw instead of a dead body a beautiful girl in a defensive stance, with her bracelets still smoking.

"Girl, you are not match against me." Darkseid smiled, and then laughed at her while she wield her sword, and send more of his omega beams at her but she deflected them all with her bracelets, never turning away, her eyes fixed on him, on his grey skin and red eyes that seemed full of cruelty.

"I'm getting sick of this game." He said and then changed tactics by grabbing and threw her to the next wall. Stumbling, she got up and continued to fight, however, the dark god, seemed unfazed, but as she trust her sword in his abdomen, his laugh stopped. Diana saw his body crumbling, still the dark God managed to plugged out the sword from his body and even though he was bleeding, he said, "You're full of surprises, girl, but you did not aim higher, I guess you don't want to kill me after all, that is clearly a mistake. I told you before you are no match against me." He tossed away the sword and was about to hit her again when a red beam hit him.

" Kal-El... When you are going to learn?"

Diana quickly reached for the sword while Kal kept using all the force of his heat rays against Darkseid, whom in return was heating him with his own omega beams. Diana managed to climb swiftly into the dark God back and plunged her sword in one of his eyes, the sword remain there but Diana was toss again with more fury against a wall breaking it with her body and getting momentarily buried in the rumble. Kal saw that and got enraged, and use all his anger to send the strongest heat beam he had ever produced, like a solar flare so bright and powerful that blinded all around him. Eventually the beam stopped leaving an exhausted Kal on his knees, he looked up expecting to find Darkseid defeated but instead he encountered a very much alive but greatly damaged dark God.

"Kal-El, you disappointed me." He said, grabbed Kal by the neck, his body scattered, and his right eye still bleeding, but with enough strength to hurt hum. Kal tried to fight but faltered.

"Surprised? Yes, you lost your powers with that beam. Now, you are nothing."

Kal didn't answer, but continued to fight against the dark God, only his punches didn't had enough force to hurt him and when Darkseid used his body to hit the ground and finally when he was launched into the air, he hit a wall, and everything became a blur. The dark god was still weak, but then turned his attention to Diana, trying to pick her body from the rumble, when a dagger in the shape of a bat came flying and pierced his hand.

"Stop!"

"Boy, do you really think your blades can take me down?" replied Darksied kaughing, "You are delusional."

"Maybe, but you are weak now."

"Even though I'm hurt, I' am a God and you are nothing but a mere mortal."

"You are not indestructible, and if hurt her again, I will detonate all the bombs you were planning to send to earth here."

"You are bluffing, the sequence is encrypted and my technology is far too advanced for a simple human to understand it."

"Does omega, three, zero, sound like a bluff?"

"How dare you?!" said Darkseid and in that moment he was at Bruce's throat, "you will revert the explosion now!"

"Stop your invasion to earth."

"Human you are in no position to bargain. I can crush your puny brain in a second."

"That will not revert the count down. Stop the invasion... retreat your forces."

"Would you risk your own life, the life of the girl you seemed to care so much and the lives of the thousands whom inhabit this planet for that world?"

"Try me."

Darkseid took Bruce and crushed a wall with his body, and then kept him dangling in the outside of the palace, the tower was so high the fall would be mortal.

"The only thing I have to do is open my hand and your life would be over."

"As well as yours, since the bombs will explode here. Stop the invasion and retreat your forces or you will be the king of nothing."

For a moment, Darkseid didn't answer, his silence extended and each second Bruce felt how the weight of the his own body and armour became unbearable for his neck to support, he tried to think in every possibility that would allow him to escape from Darkseid tight grip.

"Well played," said Darkseid smiling and then he throw Bruce inside the palace again, "if the Amazon or the kryptonian had face the same situation they would fail, they don't have the strength character to sacrifice an entire planet to achieve a goal... You impressed me boy and for that I will honour the agreement," replied Darkseid and tossed Bruce inside the palace, walking away from him, "For now…" he finally whispered once out of sight.

The dark knight ran towards Diana, trying to unbury her from the rumble, and then he saw her sword and pick it up.

"Bruce, the count down..."

"It's over."

"And Darkseid?"

"He will stop his invasion."

"How?"

"I made a deal with him. Now let's get out of here."

Dian looked at him with confusion, and was about to interrogate him more, when Kal appear, still looking dreadful, and Bruce looked at her almost pleading.

"Come Diana, it is time to go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help myself and I added a little homage to one of my favourite Batman moments.
> 
> I would love to read your thoughts about this chapter.


	29. Loud as love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana, Bruce and Clark return to earth, and revelations occurred.

 

He gambled with his life and everything he held dear, and it turn out to be fine, the planet was safe. He on the other hand, was exhausted, there was not an inch on his body that did not ache, and all the visible parts of his skin were so badly bruised it looked purple and red, as for his armour and helmet they were left in taters.

They arrived to the place where they departed the earth in a deepest part of the woods, near Lex Luthor's secret hideout, but he was in such a bad shape he hardly could see it. However, as he crumbled in the land, he saw her and immediately his mind was at ease, even though she was in her golden armour full of battle stains and blood, for him she looked as a golden angel that has just defiled thousands of demons.

Diana was hurt too, the battle had taken its toll on her, however, when she saw him falling into the ground, she ran to his side. She gasped at the sight of him bleeding and with a large portion of his helmet-mask broken, she kneel beside him and cup his head in her hands. She looked at the iron helmet mask and felt disgusted, imagining the pain the artefact must had inflected on him, and so she ripped it apart. However, she was greeted by a gore vision of his face cover in blood, her eyes glister with tears as she brushed delicately a strain of his dark hair damped in the red liquid, and as she started to gentle caressed his forehead an iron grip hold her hand.

"Don't," he said a little more lauder than a whisper, almost like a pledge, "I don't want you to see me like this, full of scars."

"Bruce, do you think I'm so shallow to care? You are a warrior, scars comes with the territory." She said softly.

"Not like this," he replied, and in a swift movement, he tossed her around and got up. He still was feeling dizzy and his legs hurt like hell. However, his training helped him to endure the pain. He imagined himself an abomination, with a disfigured face and he did not want to see in her eyes any sign of pity for him.

Diana was astonished by his reaction, but she recovered and soon reached him "Bruce…let me help you", she said trying to touch him, but he dodged her hand. "You are hurt", she said, almost imploring, but he didn't answered, and kept walking almost sprinting as if he were fuelled by anger, with great agility.

"Bruce!" she screamed, although, she knew it was useless to call him. She wanted to fly and pursued him, forcing him to see the error of his ways, but she couldn't, she stood there in the middle of the field, rooted to the ground, with her eyes fixed in the direction where he disappeared. She felt a couple of hot tears running down her cheeks, and furiously wiped them away, and started to walk in the direction of Lex's hideout.

From the distance Clark Kent observed the scene, and something inside him stirred, he could see clearly the way Diana looked at Bruce and knew she would never look at him like that, for some reason that thought saddened him. However, he decided to ignore those feelings and followed Bruce.

"Bruce!"

"Go away."

"Sorry I cannot do that. You need to see a doctor."

"You should follow your own advice. Go and help Diana, leave me alone."

"Your eye is in bad shape, you cannot see, and as for Diana, she will be fine."

"How do you know that? She was hurt and has blood in almost every inch of her body; she was toss around like a ragged doll by that monster and you dare to say she is fine?"

"If you are so concern by her wellbeing why you did not stay with her? Why did you leave?"

"Is none of your business."

"Maybe…but you are definitely going to have those wounds treated," he said and got near Bruce.

"You nosy idiot, get away from me," said Bruce furiously, while his hand went for something inside his armour; but Clark saw that and quickly deliver a strategic hit that left Bruce unconscious.

"Sorry Bruce," said Clark while carrying him out, "but you really need to see a doctor," eventually he found the entrance to Lex's hideout, and to his surprise Alfred was there already waiting, as if he knew they were going to appear in that instant.

"Alfred!"

"Master Kent, if you be so kind to follow me, I have all the things ready to take care of Master Bruce's wounds and yours."

"I'm fine, I don't really need anything."

"Not a word master Kent, you too look like you could use a doctor's help."

"No, I need to get back and look for Diana."

"Her highness returned a few moments ago, she has been filling in everyone about the outcome of the battle, and she is already with a doctor since she looked dreadful too."

* * *

 

A couple of days passed, and both Diana and Clark recovered from the battle, their wounds already healed, and as for Bruce, the process was slower, his battle with both Steppenwolf and Darkseid left him with a hair fracture in the leg and multiple other wounds, he was unconscious most of the time. Until he finally wake up in the middle of a nightmare, with a stir and gasping for air. He passed his hands over his face and mussed his hair, the scars were there and although he didn't see them, he could feel its lumpy edges and ripples going deeper from his right temple to his cheek and there was another peculiar scar, just above his left ear and right deep into his scalp, leaving small patches of boldness, as a testament of the mask he used to wear. He closed his eyes, his imagination filling the lack of a mirror, and he imagined himself a monster.

"Master Bruce, you certainly excel when it comes to get beaten in battle, Master Kent told me about the fight," said Alfred, already by his side, with a glass of water in hand, seeing Bruce was about to get up, the old man hurry to stop him,"No, don't get up, your leg is still recovering."

"I feel fine. We need to return to Gotham immediately."

"You returned just in time, we are still 5 days away from your birthday. A proper rest will help you to endure better the trip."

"I want to leave now," said Bruce getting up from the bed and fighting his own pain, he started to walk around the chamber, but Alfred stopped him.

"Master Bruce please sit down, I will get you some clothes, there is no need to heist ..."

"We don't have time! ... Please I've just want to get out of this place as soon as possible."

"As you wish. I will start to prepare all the things for the trip, maybe you want to use this time to say your farewells."

"I will repay Luthor when I get home. As for the others it's better not to be seen."

"You are not going to say goodbye to the Princess?"

At her mention Bruce froze, it was almost imperceptible, but Alfred noticed it. "She was here you know, when you were unconscious and in recovery, she was so concerned."

Bruce didn't reply instead he started to look for clothes to cover his marred torso, ignoring the pain.

"It was hard to watch since she was wounded too, but she didn't want to leave. It is a shame she missed you... I have just convinced her to rest before you woke up. I should go to tell her you are up..."

"No!" said Bruce reaching for Alfred's arms trying to stop him, the desperate look on Bruce's eyes surprised Alfred, and then he understood. "You are running away from her…but why master Bruce?" asked Alfred now facing his guard who refused to see his face, the minutes passed and only the silence stood between the two men, tired, Alfred sighed, "I will go and get ready the horses."

"Thanks old man."

"You are welcome sir, although I'm afraid there are things we cannot outrun, they will always find a way to catch up with us, specially when it comes to matters of the heart, maybe you should confront your own feelings."

"I made up my mind. All is need is to get back to Gotham."

"Maybe your mind is with Gotham sir, but your heart belongs to somebody else. I will see you at the barns."

Bruce knew Alfred was right, but how could he explain to him that it was matter of self-preservation? Seeing her was becoming painful; he was getting tired of pretending that he was not affected by her touch or her smile; he was getting sick with fearful thoughts of her seeing him just a friend or as a cherished memory. The worst was whenever he saw her with Clark, he knew he had no right to be jealous, but he could not help it, and it made him feel idiotic, and he hated it. The nostalgic and pleasant sensation he used to feel every time he remembered their moments as childhood friends, had turned into a violent passion he hardly seemed to control, a devouring feeling that was borderline into an obsession.

More determinate than ever, he collected some clothes and walked straight to the barns, eluding everybody as much as he could. He felt relief once he reach the place, but as he turned the corner to look for his horse, he saw her already with an apple in her hand, it was obvious she was going to fetch her horse too and he had no place to go.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"I see that you are feeling better," said Diana biting her lip, "When are you planning to leave?"

"Now. I'm needed at Gotham urgently the more that I delay my arrival the more problems my kingdom will suffer."

"They are lucky to have you. You will be a great king."

"I don't know if all at court would feel that way, but thank you, now if you excuse me." He said passing next to her, trying to ease his breathing, although his heart was pounding.

"Sure," replied Diana lingering and for once visible nervous, "I have to get ready myself". She said looking at her horse, which was right next to Bruce's stallion, hers was a beautiful white mare, that devoured eagerly the apple that she gave to it, while stroking her horse's back, Diana kept stealing glances at Bruce, who was having a hard time finding the saddle of his horse.

"Where are you going?" Bruce asked all the sudden.

"To Rao's retreat."

"Why?"

"I need to free my father and the other Olympians from the phantom zone, and there is the only entrance."

"Are going alone?" he asked and the second the question left his lips, he regret it, because he already knew the painful answer.

"No, Kal will be with me, in fact he would be the one whom will free them."

"Of course he would...Well, good luck to you too."

"Bruce wait…"

"What?"

"There is something I have meant to give you for a log time," then she unlock the chain that had the "W" pendant he had gave her before, and holding his hand she gave to him. He looked at it and he felt as if something deep inside him broke.

"No, no!" he said closing his hand, and looking for her, to give it back, "This was meant for you."

"It was a loan, remember?" she said with sadness, and then trying to sound more optimistic, she continued, "I guess you have to return me what I lent you, do you still have it?"

"Yes, I have carry it with me every day since…then," and he reached for the small coat of arms that had meant so much to him. Bruce contemplated for a moment both objects he had in his hands and then closing his fingers around them said, "But I won't give it to you, and I won't have the pendant either," he said and gave her the pendant.

"This is the sigil of your house, something that had belong to the Wayne family forever, you told me that yourself. This may help to support your claim if any of those people at court would have any doubts," replied Diana completely surprised.

"I don't want it!"

"Why?"

Bruce closed his fists, he felt trapped, he wanted her to have the pendant because in a way, a little part of him would always be with her, and he felt so pathetic, needing her like that.

"You know what? You can have them both, I do not want them and I do not need them!" he said and tossed the coat of arms to the floor, quickly mounting his horse and riding it fast and hard.

Diana, pick up the coat of arms from the floor and without losing a second she mounted her horse and went after him; soon she was beside Bruce, in a meadow in the middle of the woods.

"Bruce, stop!"

He ignored her, and kept riding faster, but as she reached for the reins of his horse, he stopped fearing that she might got hurt by the dangerous trick, out of himself he dismount and walked straight to her, his face transfixed with anger.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

She dismounted her horse, and walked to meet him eye to eye, even though he was a couple of inches taller than her.

"It was the only way to stop you!"

"You could get hurt!"

"I'm an Amazon, Bruce, I have been riding horses almost since birth…Now tell me, what is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, I told you I need to be at Gotham as soon as possible."

"Yes, but you are overreacting and that is not you…. Are you going to tell me what is going on or should I use my lasso on you?"

Bruce kept staring at her blue eyes, and did not know what to say, he was already on the edge of a thin line between his own desires to run away and confess his feelings for her, and when she got close to him and held his hand, he lost it.

"Do you really want to know the truth? Can you handle it princess?" he said, looking at her with passion and fury, holding her hand more tightly, "Well, this is my truth, and I don't care if after this you break me in half… do you want to know why I do not want to be here anymore? It's because of you."

Diana looked at him shocked and hurt, immediately she tried to retrieve her hand from his, but he would not let her, even though she was strong enough to even break his hand. When he looked at her pristine blue eyes, he saw her more vulnerable than ever, but he knew it was too late to back up and continued with his speech, relentless.

"I have these feelings for you that are consuming me, drive me insane... you are in my dreams, in every one of my thoughts, haunting me. I have tried to forget you and I have even tried to hate you, but it's pointless as every part of my soul belongs to you. Since the moment that I met you, you have been engraved in my heart, there has not been a single day that I have not think about you… do you want to know the truth? … The truth is… I love you," he said and released Diana's hand, she was speechless and as her face lighted, Bruce move instantly and coupe her face in his hands and fiercely kissed her, pouring in that gesture all the passion he had bottled over the years. Even as she responded and did not back away from his outburst of emotions, suddenly he stopped and whispered in her ear, in a defiant tone laced with an infinite sadness, "Even if you don't love me." He carefully parted away from her, trying to see her beautiful blue eyes for the last time, but then a hot slap hit his face.

"Fool!" she shouted at him.

Bruce just smirked in response. "My apologies princess, I should have known you would not like what I had to say," he was about to turn around and leave when he felt a slender but strong hand holding him back.

"Don't you dare to turn your back at me!" she said in her regal tone that admitted no opposition, "I can't accept your apology, since you offend me when you said I don't love you… because I do."

Bruce blinked and did not move, he looked at her trying to understand, for once completely dumbfounded.

"Do you think you were the only one lonely all those years? ... I thought about you every day and every night I prayed to the gods, to keep you safe, to keep you alive. I have to hide my feelings for you as a secret, in order to avoid all those memories to be rip away from me, because even despite the pain of being away from you, all those moments we lived together were the best of my life… So don't you dare to tell me that I don't love you, because I have been in love with you for a very long time."

For the first time, he smiled openly and then he closed the distance between them kissing her again, only now without rush or bitterness, savouring her every breath. Bruce tangled his fingers in her hair, embracing her closer, and he kept kissing her in an adoring fashion, for a moment, all his pain and worries were gone. He could only think on her soft lips, on the way her sapphire eyes sparkle and in the glorious moment when she said she loved him too. If there was ever any doubt on his mind of how deeply he loved Diana, in that moment, he realized with absolute certainty that his heart will forever belong to her.

Diana did not know how much time they spend there, away from the madding crowd of warriors and battles. For once she allowed herself to enjoy all those new sensations Bruce made her feel with each of his kisses and caresses, and the wonders that presented to her by the simple fact that she loved and was loved in return. She knew that behind Bruce's cold demeanour and rough exterior was a tender and gentle boy, but she didn't know until that moment, how passionate he could be, and how well her own body seemed to fit with him, how everything about them together seemed to be right, and how she never felt so alive.

* * *

Alfred watched in the horizon the two silhouettes of Diana and Bruce and sighted in relief. They had gone for hours and although he hoped for the best, he still feared the worst.

Bruce dismounted his horse and eagerly rushed to help Diana to dismount her mare. The delicacy of each of his moves when he touched her and the adoration in his eyes whenever he looked at her, was so evident that Alfred couldn't help but to smile. Discreet as usual Alfred was about to leave when Clark entered into the barns running.

"Alfred, any news from Diana? I thought I heard horses..." Clark hailed and became speechless when he saw Diana and Bruce kissing, he was about to leave when Diana spotted him; she stopped kissing Bruce and enthusiastically called him.

"Kal!"

Bruce turned around and Clark was astonished by what he saw, the scars on the young man's face had vanish, and he looked not only handsome but also extremely happy.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," said Diana apologetically to him, without leaving Bruce side, who was now embracing her by the waist, a slight possessive gesture that did not went unnoticed by Clark, "Can we depart tomorrow?" she said almost a pledging in her voice.

"Sure," replied Clark smiling at her.

"Great!" Diana said and then looked back at Bruce. Clark noticed she looked at him with adoration and was so happy she seemed to glow. For his part, Bruce locked his eyes with hers, and never stopped looking at her, even when he addressed his faithful butler, "Alfred, would you be so kind to help my fiancé with the arrangements for her trip? We would be escorting her until we reach Starling City."

If Alfred was surprised by the appellate, he did not show, however Clark was taken aback, but then he recognized not only the deep love Bruce had for Diana and that until now seemed buried, but Bruce's transformation, a light ignited inside him, and for the first time he seemed younger and gentler, a side of him he had not seen before.

"Bruce, there's no need. I can do that myself," said Diana embarrassed.

"Your highness it would my pleasure. Now if you are so kind to follow me," replied Alfred gently directing Diana to follow him.

"Thank you Alfred," said Diana happily and then she departed from Bruce who kept holding her hand until each one of her fingers left his. Clark felt uncomfortable and out of place, he was about to leave when Bruce called him.

"Clark can I talk to you?"

"Sure."

They stood there in the middle of the barn looking at each other in silence until Diana and Alfred left. Clark felt Bruce's cold and analytic stare once Diana left the barn.

"I want to know what is your plan to liberate the Olympians from the phantom zone? Did you recover your powers yet? How long it will take you to free them? And after that, what are you planning to do?"

"Too many questions."

"Just answer."

"The plan is simple, we reach Rao's fortress near the Pole and from there I access the entrance to the Phantom zone and liberate Diana's father and the rest of the Olympians. As for my powers, I do not have them at its fullest extent yet, but I do not need them to access the phantom zone, the key is in my blood. Satisfied?"

" Your journey is still too dangerous. If you are not fully recovered you won't be able to protect Diana."

"Diana doesn't need my protection. She is strong enough to fight any obstacle." Replied Clark with a mix of annoyance and proud.

"I know, but she is also very trusting… specially when it comes to you."

"I would never betray her."

"Really?" replied Bruce sarcastically raising an eyebrow, "Did you explain to her how you managed to imprisoned the Olympians? How did you trick them and who helped you?"

"I was brainwashed and all those memories are a blur to me."

"I don't believe that."

"I don't care what you think. I have asked for Diana's forgiveness and she pardoned me. That's all I care."

"Still I'm not comfortable leaving you alone with my fiancé to wonder into wilderness with so many uncontrollable variables. Specially, since you have proved unreliable many times."

"I'm in control now. I would never hurt Diana. I care for her."

"Care is not the same to love."

"What do you know about my feelings? You are an arrogant brat, whom has everything he wants, a powerful kingdom to rule and now the love of the most wonderful girl in the world. I wonder how did you manage to persuade her to marry you. Do you know what their people are going to do to her when they found out? Do you even care?" Replied Clark with a passion Bruce had never seen before in the mild mannered young boy, "Do you really want to know my plans after we liberate the Olympians? I am going to rebuild Krypton and help the kryptonians. I am going to reclaim the land that was taken from us and try to forge a nation again. So, do not come to me with your jealousy. I have better things to do." He said turning around and leaving the barn in anger.

* * *

The next days happened too fast for Diana and Bruce, they travelled together for a couple of days, along with Alfred and Clark and while the trip was not always easy, it went without major inconvenience. Bruce wanted to make every moment unforgettable for Diana, and at the same time, he could not help to feel anxious, the idea of being away from her hurt him; he even consider going with her to Themyscira, however when he discussed that with Diana, she refused because she knew it would meant to leave his kingdom behind, something that he would regret later. Until that moment, duty for Bruce never seemed a burden but for an instant he wished he were not a prince, but somebody without attachments.

"After I regain my kingdom I will go back to Themyscira to ask for your hand in marriage," said Bruce the night prior leaving for Gotham.

"I have already said yes. Don't you trust me?" Diana replied half joking and half serious.

"I will hold you to that promise," he said while embracing her, " but I want to make things according to the royal protocol."

"Why? You never seemed to care about that before."

"I have to think about our future, I do not want anything to come between us and if that means follow some stupid rules, I will do it. I will go and do whatever trial your parents demand from me as long as they allow me to marry you."

"And if they don't?"

"Then I will have to figure something out. I will do whatever it takes to be with you, unless you don’t want me to.”

“I cannot imagine other type of happiness but to be with you. Even if they disagree I will marry you. However, what if people at Gotham reject me? When I was there, they looked at me with despise, apparently, I do not behave as the ladies at their court should.”

“They will love you as much as I do. And after I became a prince regent, it only be suitable that I get married, and I cannot imagine marring anyone but you.”

“Bruce, that is so sweet, but our duty…”

“Gotham will be lucky to have you as their queen, and everyone will have to understand that, because everything pales in comparison of how I feel about you, I will not share my life with anyone else but you.”

"I love you too," Diana replied with earnest but inside she dreaded her parents opposition to their relation, and since she had hear enough cautionary tales about immortals and mortals she also feared for Bruce's life, but still she hoped that somehow their love will prevail against all the odds.


	30. Love is a battlefield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana and Bruce go separate ways again, hoping it will be the last time

**C** **hapter 30**

**Love is a battlefield**

Departing was not easy, and Bruce found that the hard way. He thought he would be at peace now that she loved him in return. However, he was still restless with a nagging fear creeping inside him, as a poisonous voice whispering in his ear so many bad ideas, so many dreadful scenarios, so many ways of losing her. Once she rode into the horizon with Clark, he had to use all his resolve to keep riding into Gotham's direction and not after her.

Maybe it was because of his dark state of mind, what he saw appalled him, the earth was now a desolated place, in each acre of land there were traces of the past violent times, devastated crops and corpses rotten in the trenches, were a common sight.

Alfred and him entered the Gotham's woods, and stopped at the same cave where Bruce left Bybloo, the beast greet him with enthusiasm. Alfred kept his composure, and ignored the grotesque animal and its displays of affection. The faithful butler then explained his plan to enter the city using a passage near the dungeons of the palace.

"Master Bruce, I promise you, this will be the last time you enter the Wayne palace this way."

"It's okay Alfred, I know you are worry about my safety, but there is no need."

"Master Bruce, right now, Cai thinks you are dead and we should let him believe that. After tomorrow, when you become king, things will change for the better in our country."

"You have a lot of faith in me, old man. However, I would never be able to erase the pain of the thousands whom suffer this regime. I saw the way people looks at my banner now, with a mix of hatred and fear. I do not know if I would be able to change that."

"You are still young, and have many years to come to transform Gotham with your own example and actions. Your marriage would be a great opportunity to do that. You can have a great wedding, a victorious celebration, recognize all those we were heroes at war, even reward them with lands. Be the gracious host your mother taught you and invite the monarchs from other kingdoms."

"Should I remind you the last ceremony we had here did not end well. And Diana, she is so precious to me, if something would happen to her..."

"We will increase the security, and besides, this will be a royal union. You are promised to the princess of one of the oldest and powerful kingdoms in the world. This is a great alliance."

"I would marry Diana even if she had nothing but the clothes on her back."

"I know that master Bruce. But may I suggest you do not say that aloud, play this as a wise political movement, that way, the people at court and in other kingdoms, will perceive you as a savvy diplomat."

"In other words, use Diana as a political chip. That is disgusting."

"Maybe, but remember you will be strongly scrutinize once you become king, and as for the princess, it would be a challenge too, she is not used to the life outside Themyscira. Do not be deceived master Bruce, there is still another battle to fight, only this time it will be at the diplomatic arena."

They remain silent for the rest of the evening, and at night they entered Gotham city, searching in the darkness for the headquarters of the resistance. The following hours Bruce kept thinking about her, and in the glorious moments they spend together, he caressed the W pendant around his neck, remembering how much she insisted he should wear it, as a protection against the difficult times that may come. He gave her the coat of armas of the crowned bat but he felt it was unfair. He wished he would gave her instead his mother's engagement ring, an exquisite piece with a sapphire in the middle that matched the colour of his mother's eyes as well as Diana's. But the ceremony of his engagement will have to wait. First he needed to be present at the ceremony for his eighteen birthday. Alfred dressed him with the most royal attire, and at the end, he was the vivid image of his father, the resemblance was so uncanny, nobody could ever deny he was Thomas Wayne son.

"Come master Bruce, you need to enter the palace now," said with heist Alfred and covered the young prince with a dark cape and hood, "It's important that nobody sees you until the last moment when your father's will gets open."

The palace of Gotham had not change since the last time Bruce was there, the whole place seemed like it had been captured in a bubble, untouched by the war or hunger, its old glory intact. He walked through the secrete passages he used to know so well, following Alfred. They were already near the grand hall when the bells of the cathedral chimed twelve times, signalling midnight and just like that, Bruce was now eighteen, a proper age to become a king. Alfred then opened a door and pull-out a curtain and he saw an empty corridor, apparently all of the guards were already in the grand hall.

"Go ahead master Bruce. I will be right behind you," said Alfred.

Bruce smiled, "Do not worry, I can take care of myself," he said and saw him his sword, the beautiful engraved blade, his father gave to him months before his dead.

Bruce walked straight to the grand hall, still with the hood covering his face. Since nobody had seen him in the past years, everyone assumed he was dead, and the reading of the deceased King's will, was a mere protocol to install the current seneschal as the legitimate ruler of Gotham.

The grand hall was adorned with a breath-taking majesty, the courtesans were dressed in luxurious fabrics and wore their most ostentatious jewels, many of them were the same old families that served his father, and Bruce wondered how much did they contribute to his family tragedy, how many of them plotted with his parent's murderer, but he repressed his anger, and instead decided to fix his eyes on his father's empty throne and in the chair next to it occupied now by Cai, whom could barely hide his excitement when the guardian of the scrolls appeared ready to open Gotham' last king will in front of the courtesans.

The old man stood in the centre of the room, and then his voice resounded in the entire hall. "We are gathered here at the light of the eighteen birthday of our regent prince, to solemnly read the will of our deceased king, Thomas Wayne. With your graces as witness and in the presence of our benevolent seneschal, I will proceed to read the last royal decreed:

_The last will and testament of the deceased King Thomas Wayne:_

_In the event of my death, I hereby declare that all my worldly possessions pass to my son, Bruce Wayne. Bruce, I ask that you honour the Wayne family legacy. And commit yourself to the improvement of Gotham, its institutions, and its citizens. Please, be strong. You are young, but destined for great things. Make the most of your opportunities. Do not be frivolous and do not waste it all in the pursuit of a destructive lifestyle. Treat your subjects like family. Watch over them and use our wealth to safeguard them from forces beyond their control. My deepest regret is I will not see you grow into the good man I know you will become. And finally my son, I ask that you to never abandon Gotham to fate. We have lived through dark days, and no doubt there are more to come. But it is the good and great men that stand up for our kingdom when others turn and run. In death, I will love you forever._

_Your father, Thomas."_

Bruce almost cried when he heard the last words, but collected himself as he started to walk closer to the throne, not realising the whispers of the nobles around him, or how they moved away from him. He was just a few yards away from the throne, when the royal guards tried to block his path, but once they looked at his face one by one presented arms. Cai stood up, upset by the sudden commotion.

"Bruce!" the name escaped Cai's lips against his will; he was astonished to see him alive and without a single scar on his face.

Bruce kept walking until he reached his father's throne, and got rid of the cape and hood that were covering him. Then as he turned around for all the men and women of Gotham to see, the atmosphere in the room changed drastically, a collective gasp could be heard. His resemble to the deceased king was undeniable; he looked just like his father, except for his icy blue eyes. The way he dressed also helped, he looked utterly regal, all the symbols of his house embroiled in the fabrics he wore and the silver ""W" pendant glistering on his neck.

With a charming smile he addressed the expectant crowd, which contemplated him as if he was a ghost. "Thank you master Wellington for reading my father's will. Seneschal, I appreciate all what you have done for Gotham, believe me your efforts will be rewarded," he said looking at Cai who could barely dissimulate his fury, Bruce smiled in return but his eyes reflected a cold anger that send chills down Cai's spine, "seneschal you can rest now, because I have returned and I will rule my kingdom, as my father intended," concluded Bruce in the middle of a standing ovation and the confused faces of more than one courtesan, while Cai's eyes squinted in anger.

* * *

"You have been terribly quieted all this time. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," replied Diana absentminded, "sorry, I must be an awful companion."

"No, it's my bad. After all, this is not a daytrip, and you have a lot on your mind."

"As well as you," said Diana looking at Clark; she always felt so at ease with him, as if she had met him all her life. "Bruce told me about your plans, after we liberate my father and the other Olympians."

Clark nodded and didn't answer immediately, somehow he didn't expect her to know that, "Yes, that is something I need to do. I can only hope to serve my people well."

"You will Clark, you are a very noble and kind person."

"Thank you Diana, I really appreciate how you never stopped believing in me, even after all the Darkseid debacle."

"Do not mention it, he brainwashed you and used all your fears to draw the darkness in your heart. I'm unsure if I could fare better against him in a similar situation."

"I found that hard to believe. You are pure light."

"You are wrong, there is darkness in me. When I was fighting Darkseid's son there was a moment when I wanted to kill him, really destroy him and unfortunately, that was not the first time I felt such a blood thirst. I know now that if something dear to me would be taken away, I would fight with all my forces to retrieve it."

"That is not darkness, that its basic instincts Diana. "

"No Kal, I should have known better, I have all this power bestowed in me, is my duty to use it wisely."

"Sometimes that is impossible."

"I cannot afford to be like that, specially now."

"Now that you are returning to Themyscira?"

"Now, that I will get married. The gothamities are not easy, and they will not embrace me with open arms as Bruce thinks."

"What about your parents and the Amazons, would they embrace Bruce with open arms?"

"No. My parents despise the mortals, and marriage is a foreign concept to my sisters, no Amazon has ever been married, not even my mother."

"You will be the first."

"Yes. I hope my marriage will bring Themyscira to the world; the Amazons cannot longer live apart, isolated. If the Darkseid's invasion taught me anything is that our nations cannot be divided by greed or petty interests, we need to be united and see beyond our borders."

"So you would be marrying Bruce for political reasons?"

"Of course not, I love Bruce with all my heart, but if I ever tell my people that, they would not understand; whereas if I let them see the benefits of our union as a diplomatic movement, I may even get their blessing. Olympians seem to comprehend better deceive than love."

"And you are willing to play their game? That is not you."

"I will do whatever it takes to protect those I love," she said with earnest looking at him directly in the eyes, and she saw in him a flicker of something he had not seen in him before, "did I scare you?"

"On the contrary, I admire you now even more," replied Kal with a reassuring smile, and held his horse to a stop, "we should leave the horses here, and we need to follow on foot the next part of the way."

* * *

Rao's fortress was invisible to the untrained eye, just snow and rocks, but as Kal walked the mysterious paths in the middle of the maze of ice, Diana could see clearly the entrance to the magnificent place, once inside she marvelled at the palace so similar in grandeur and splendour to the Olympus itself. Then a bright light appeared in front of them, she unfolded her sword, but Kal stopped her.

"My lord."

"You returned, as a prodigal son, and you even dare to bring someone with you."

"My lord, this is my friend, Diana."

"Come closer girl," said Rao visibly diminished, his imposing figure had faded and he was more like a spectre than a god, "You are a demigoddess, what are you doing here?"

"I came to free my people, my lord."

"The Olympians," replied Rao with contempt, "They are in the phantom zone. They deserved to be there."

"I would not be the judge of that my lord, but you see, my father is among them."

"Who is he?"

"Lord Hades."

"Zeus' brother, the lord of the underworld," replied Rao surprised, "You are Hippolyta's daughter, you have growth so much. I meet your mother once, beautiful and brave, but with poor taste in lovers I must add. You have my permission to liberate Lord Hades, and only him."

"But my lord, I came to liberate all the Olympians not only my father."

"They made a deal with Darkseid and ignored my warnings, they have what they deserve. Zeus never honoured the promise he made to me, he never looked after Kal nor the kryptonians."

"My Lord Zeus had been consumed with a feud against my father for the past years, I doubt he cared for anything else then. However, with Darkseid's forces out of earth, they are our only weapons against Lord Ares."

"I'm not interested in the family disputes of the Olympians."

"This goes beyond that My Lord. Now that Darkseid is back at Apokolips, Ares has the earth at his disposal; he will bring terror and horror to all the kingdoms, not only Themyscira. Tell me my Lord, is it the right course of action to leave the world at Lord Ares disposal?"

"If you think for a moment, you got rid of Darkseid, you are wrong." He didn't say a word anymore just kept staring at her, in a silent duel of cold glares. "You look tired girl, get some rest now, we will discuss this later. Kal take Diana to one of the chambers, and get her something to eat."

As Kal approached her, she dodged him, and got closer to Rao. "My lord, we are running out of time, we need to liberate them as soon as possible, please…."

"I said we would address this later," replied Rao commandingly.

"Come Diana, follow me," said Kal, and walked inside the palace, trough the galleries of ice where the light seemed in perpetual blue glow.

"Kal you have to help me, I need to free my father and other Olympians, time is running out."

"I know you are really in hurry to marry Bruce Diana, but Rao has certain rules we need to follow, enter the phantom zone is not easy."

"Is not that Kal! Can you see the longer we delay to stop Ares, the stronger he will get?," replied Diana angry, "I'm starting to wonder if what you said about Krypton is true."

"Of course it is!"

"Then help me convince Rao, or help me yourself as you promised! "

"I will do my best, now I will leave you to rest, soon a servant will bring you food," he said and left.

* * *

Kal navigated with ease between the halls of the fortress, and in the middle of one of the most solitary chambers he found Rao.

"Why did you refuse to help her?"

"I did not refuse to help her, I have just said that we will discuss that later."

"This is a sensitive time issue." Replied Kal, trying to repressed the frustration he was feeling with the whole situation. Rao did not even looked at him, he kept staring at the window, observing the mountains, Kal was about to leave when the kryptonian god spoke.

"Do you remember the last time you where here?"

"Not really."

"You came along with Darkseid, you had a helmet that covered all your face, but I knew it was you. You imprisoned the Olympians in front of me, while Darkseid held me paralyzed in a corner. You did not even turn to see me once, not even a glance, you were so focused on your task."

"I'm sorry, I was brainwashed."

"I know, I warned you about that," said Rao, "but I digress … Do you want know what I observed then?... Darkseid regarded you with pride, as a father watches a son, he had only spent a couple of weeks with you, and he already respected and admired you. At that moment it was clear to me that you were never meant to be my successor, you were destined to be something else."

" I really wanted to be what you wanted of me."

"You will be fine, you will rebuild Krypton, and you will inspire them as their king."

"I hope I would be able to serve them, and by doing that in certain extent I will be serving you as well."

"Thank you Kal-El, now please leave me, I 'm very tired."

"Are you alright?"

" No, I'm dying."

"What?! How is that even possible?"

"I have been dying slowly for the past years, fading, but now the inevitable passing will come. I will become a memory, a dream."

"I will not allow that, I will build temples and ask for help…Maybe the Olympians can provide assistance."

" That is a nice sentiment but is useless, my fate is already in course, but don't worry about me. As for the Olympians…they are dying too, not many of them survived the phantom zone… You looked surprised, but it takes a special kind of being to endure that place…no worries, I know Hades made it, the same as Zeus, as for the others… I would not be so sure. The world has already changed and it will change more, because of you, and your friends. In the end you were indeed the champions the prophecy promised, but nothing ended the way we expected. "

"There must be something I can do."

"No, this is the best option. I will fade away, but if it is any consolation to you…my spirit will always be here to help you if you need me."

Kal embraced the God, whom seemed now a fragile old man. "Don't be sad, I still have some things to do, I will help you to free the Olympians."

"Thank you my lord!"

"Don't thank me. They will bring havoc to the world. Go and call Diana, we will visit to the phantom zone."

* * *

Themyscira was in ruins, the Amazons have bravely resisted the siege for months now, but their forces were dismayed. Without any help neither from the exterior nor from the Olympian gods, the possibilities of succeed seemed slim if not impossible. And Hippolyta knew it, which was the reason why she agreed to meet with Ares, despite her own instincts. Philippus opposed strongly against the idea.

"My queen, Ares is not trust worthy, he is a traitor, if he seizes you, he can torture you just for pleasure and parade you in the must humiliating ways in front of our tropes, in order to discourage us. "

"I would not let him do that."

"He also knows how to kill an immortal."

"I'm not afraid of dying. You are my second in command; if something happens to me, lead the Amazons and do not let them to be taken in shame by the enemy."

Philippus saluted her Queen and was about to leave, when she decided against it, and in a rare gesture she embraced Hippolyta.

"Philippus if I die and you survive, promise me you will search for Diana. Protect her, guide her to be the queen our people needs."

They parted ways and Hippolyta proceeded to dress in her military gala outfit. She looked regal and beautiful. She arrived soon at the point of rendezvous in the middle of the night, in a small part of the beach, the ocean was calm and the waves gentle caressed the shore, the moonlight illuminate clearly that part, and for an instant she remembered the place where she used to encountered with Ares when they were lovers, the irony was not miss to her, they made love under the same stars that now were the silent witnesses of their war, and of her defeat. Hippolyta dismissed the sentiment and focused on the best way to negotiate a treaty with Ares. Despise the guarantees offered in the letter, she brought her sword and had a knife hidden under her ropes, but inward she knew those would not be enough weapons in a fight against the god of war.

She became still when the noise of small footsteps approaching caught her attention, then the figure of an Amazon, appeared in the horizon, walking right to meet her.

"Thebe, What are you doing here?! I'm supposed to meet Ares alone."

"I know. I wrote that letter, and I've just wanted to make sure none of your loyal subjects were hidden here to provide you any assistance."

"You took the side of the enemy."

"I don't want to die in this island for a cause I don't believe."

"An intelligent decision," said Ares materializing apparently from thin air, and then he approached Thebe and kissed her in front of Hippolyta, in the most lascivious way possible, however he ended abruptly the kiss, leaving Thebe wanting more.

"Leave us," he said addressing to Thebe, but looking at Hippolyta, his eyes were dark in the night, but still sparkled like flames.

"Yes, my love, " replied Thebe, feeling intimidated by the commanding tone of her lover.

They stood there in the beach lighted by the moon, staring at each other in silence, then a disgusted gesture in Hippolta's face capture Ares attention.

"I thought you were willing to have a civilized treaty, but I see now, you only want us as your slaves, and I will never allow that. "

"You meant that because of Thebe? She was here on her own will. She loves me." Replied Ares with indifference.

"Fine. I came here to avoid any more losses. I don't want the blood of my people to be spill for nothing. Tell me what is want you want."

"You know there was a time when that question was very easy for me to answer, but now…I don't know… the fact that your kind is currently weak and suffering makes me very happy… to think it took that for you to put your pride aside and come to talk to me. I cannot decide if that was brave or idiotic. I'm inclining to think the later."

"I have talked to you many times during the past years."

"Yes, but every time we exchange words you either tried to kill me or sent your Amazonian lackeys to spite me."

"So that is what you want, talk to me?"

"Oh, no, I want you to suffer. And if you think for a moment that the siege was all that I'm capable of, you are wrong. There are so many things I still can do."

" Let's fight, you and me alone, except not in a solitary beach at night, but in the day, at noon, in front of all your tropes."

"There is no gain for me in that."

" I thought you valued the admiration of your soldiers. If I lose, it would be humiliating, I will be a pariah for my people, an example for the centuries to come. And I will be dead, don't you want that?"

"You will be a martyr for your people and they will try to avenge you. And if by any chance you win, you will become a hero for the rest of eternity. No, I pass. But I will be generous. Come to me in front all the tropes and surrender drinking a cup full the Letho river waters, and I will let your Amazons live".

"What kind of life? As slaves for you or your troops to toy? No, I won't do that to them."

"Let them decide that. Think about it, your forces are dismayed, you don't have enough food or weapons anymore, and I know Thebe poisoned all your water supplies before leaving... no one will come to your aide, most of the Olympians are already locked in the phantom zone. As for other nations, you broke all ties with them years ago; no one will move a finger to help you. Is a small price to pay for your beloved Amazons, I promise I won't interfere with their lives, nor for good or bad, I will let them be, alone in this discarded island. And maybe one day when Darkseid decides to return the abused body of your daughter, your Amazons will have a place to buried her."

"You know where she is?"

"She is currently at Apokolips, serving as a slave for Darkseid."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe whatever you want. Those are my conditions, and I'm being terribly kind. You have 48 hours to present yourself in front of me. If you fail to do it so, I will burn Themyscira to the ground, and your subjects will learn first hand the wrath of the God of War," he said triumphant and turned around, leaving Hippolyta desperate and frustrated.

"God, what a joke! You are vile being with no soul," said Hippolyta as a bitter whisper, but Ares heard her and swiftly grabbed her arm.

His faced was distorted and his callous demeanour disappeared, instead there was only a vehemence he was struggling to control, "If I don't have a soul is because of you. You lost the love I loved the most. You killed my boy."

"Is that the story you tell yourself to sleep at night? You know it's not true. And you seem to forget he was my son too."

"You never loved him."

"You took him away from me, maybe if he stayed at Themyscira he would be alive now."

"What did you expect me to do? To remain indifferent while those idiotic Amazons mistreated my child? I know the rules of your people 'no men will be allowed as part of the royal family'. I did what was best for my son."

"And he died because he sought your approval; he went to war even when he was far too young for that. He wanted to live up to your wish of making him the most legendary warrior in the Olympus."

"If not for your sister's arrow he would still be alive, her amazons tortured my child. You talk now of pain and sorrow but you did not see his body."

"You already had your revenge... you killed my sister and her squad, and I did look at their bodies, slaughtered by you…Ares you are not a god but a monster!"

"But you love monsters! Hades is an example of that," replied Ares holding Hippolyta's arm, hurting her, "It was humiliating to be replaced in your heart by the lord of the underworld," said Ares with passion but then his pride took over, "Anyway you have 48 hours to surrendered." He concluded and vanished in the air.


	31. Love is Blindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Diana found love can lead to dangerous choices

"Are you here to surrender?" Questioned Ares without any ceremony, there was an edge in his voice, a hint of hope and anxiety.

"No". Replied Hippolyta sharply and defiant.

A silence stretched for various seconds, the air was fraud with danger and every single one of the people involved were tense as Hippolyta and Ares locked eyes, leaving many things unsaid.

"So be it," concluded Ares with a growl. His eyes were now devoted of life, and his sword lighted up on fire, he let his hand fall to his side, and immediately his army started to charge against the walls of the Themyscira palace.

Elephants with large fangs carried men with bows that rained arrows towards the castle, at the same time that catapults thrown large rocks that hinted the walls, it was chaos and misery, a rain of arrows and fire pored over the Themysciran city, its palace in other times grand and glorious, was now marred by the rocks that were thrown at it. The amazons defend their last refugee with bravery and cunning but as the days pasted, the fight became more relentless and even them began to get tired, the food was scarce and they were running out of water. Even the best warriors have a braking point, and they were on verge of it.

* * *

**Diana**

The boat navigated smoothly through the dark waters of the Lethe river, the monotonous sound of the crashing waters was almost like a lullaby, however the pounding sound of her own thoughts kept her from drifting into sleep. She had close her eyes trying to tame the images of her suffering Amazon sisters, tortured in so many ways that she could almost hear their screams. However, for each one of those images, the vision that that kept appearing in her mind was the handsome face of a dark haired boy, of icy blue eyes, that just a few days ago, had confessed to her with a mix of defiance and sadness that he loved her. She felt guilty and ashamed of her own happiness against a world with such sorrow, but in the end, she could not helped it, she was in love, and hoping against hope that somehow, she could have future with Bruce. She opened her eyes and looked sideways at her father, and suddenly realized that her initial assessment of Hades' acceptance of her potential marriage had been far too much optimistic.

Hades had been quiet almost all their journey down the river, but he could tell something was off with his little girl, he knew her mind was elsewhere, he could see her beaming, humming a wordless song and smiling. That was unusual, especially since nobody could be happy on the waters of the Lethe River, and yet his daughter was. He looked at her smiling and his heart got warmed.

"Diana,you are not afraid of this place?"

"No father, I just found it terrible sad and lonely."

"I hope when you live here that change...soon you will be old enough to stay in the underworld with out any consequences and you will become my rightful heir. You need to learn all about this place and its complexities."

Diana become silent, her heart drop, how would she ever find the right moment to tell her father about her engagement, about the possibility that she may never become his heir, because she chose to marry a mortal man.

"What about Themyscira? I am the heir of that realm too."

"Yes and no. You are the first girl to have been born in centuries to any Amazon, and your mother maybe the queen, but is not a hereditary throne. Its subjected to vote, besides after this I'm confident your mother will agree with me that the safest place for you is to be by my side, here at the Underworld."

"And if I don't want to?"

"Would you dare to oppose me?"

"Father, I'm needed on earth, among the mortals. I can be a bridge between our people, and we can live in harmony."

"Nonsense. Why would I need to live in 'harmony' with the mortals? Their life is meaningless, end in a second, we are their gods and their duty is to obey us and worship us. I don't see why we need to beg for their attention."

"Times are changing father. Themyscira is the only remaining place where the Olympians gods to be worshiped, and even the faith of my sisters was not enough to save all the Parthenon. I want to help."

He looked at her with a mix of disappointment and sadness, and then remained silent for the rest of their journey. He could see her determination, and deep inside he knew Diana was not going back after the war with them, and the fear of loosing her again creeped inside him. He promise to himself that he was not going to give her up that easily.

Once they reached the Hades' palace, Diana detected a gloomy appearance that lingered in every corner, as if the spectres that usually where in hiding had come and inhabited the whole building, quickly following her father's pace, she reached his private chambers, still lavish and luxurious despite the darkness, and then her father opened a secret door.

"Follow me," ordered Hades.

Diana walked behind her father, for a corridor that seemed to stretch for yards, and then at the end there was a small room, with one of the largest mirrors she had seen, it had a exquisite frame and it went from the celling to floor, it looked so pristine but at the same time was dark, it did not reflected a thing, and then his father gently touch it in the middle, and large ripples started to appear; the image changed and instead of her reflexion, she saw another room, decorated in a Themyscirian style.

"This was our secret way of communication, between your mother and I. This is how we are going to slip past the siege of Ares and reach Themyscira. "

"I hope is not too late. How many soldiers of the underworld can enter in here?"

"None. They cannot pass; this is protected by strong spells that would destroy them. For now, its only you and me," he noticed the shadow of alarm in her daughter eyes and try to ease her worries "It would be more that enough, come on."

Diana did not say a word, just took a deep breath and enter intro the mirror hoping for the best at the other side.

* * *

**Bruce**

He sat at the head of the table, and observed. For a moment, so quiet and focus, partially hidden in the shadows that he may be mistaken for a statute. Cai choose to ignore him, and continued discussing the different affairs of the state, Bruce didn't say a word, just kept watching the way those people behaved, who was the most solicit servant and who was trying to question Cai's authority and he found that all the men with the exception of Jim Gordon, where either accomplishes of Cai or too afraid to offer any opposition. That sadden him, but he hid his disappointment well. They were about to adjourn the meeting when Bruce asked a question to none one in particular.

"What is the state of our army?"

Cai thought he was imaging things, so for a fraction of second he hesitated, but then the master of war, in a very solicit way responded to Bruce, "Excellent, your grace, although our tropes did see much action during the Nordic wars, both our infantry and the cavalry had been fighting and winning countless battles and they are now hard forge soldiers in top conditions, ready for combat at any moment, besides that our fleet had barely suffer any losses, we still have the strongest navy in the whole continent."

"Good," replied Bruce, "I would like to inspect them and have detail report soon."

"Of course your grace, this afternoon, you would have it."

"Thank you, master of arms."

"Are you planning to declare war? "Asked Cai, and when he encountered Bruce's ice stare as a response, he shiver despite himself.

"Thank you my Lords, this has been an insightful reunion." Said Bruce, ignoring Cai's question and immediately all the members of the small council left, all except for Jim Gordon, whom remain seated waiting to be alone with Bruce.

"Your highness may I have a word?" said James Gordon looking agitated.

Bruce did not answer, just nodded, and with another gesture dismissed his royal guards, which were in the entrance of the room, waiting to escort him to his chambers. As soon as they were alone, Jim voice tone changed,

"Bruce, are you planning to declare war?"

"I'm needed at Themyscira, my troops will end the siege."

"Themyscira!, why? What is in that island?"

"The future queen of Gotham", replied Bruce calmly much to Jim's astonishment, "I am engaged to Diana of Themyscira, princess of the amazons. If I send the troops over there, is because my fiancé is there, helping her people to fight against the siege. Tell me Jim, is proper of a prince to deny his bride help when she needs it the most?"

"I'm unsure whether that is a god option. Your crowning is due in two weeks, and now you are talking about going to war, for what? For a country that has never been our allied in any battle, where were the amazons in the past years in our fights against the Nordic nations or more recently in our resistance movement against Darkseid? If you send gothamies to their dead for people that never shredded a drop of sweat for them, they will hate you, King or not. We have just passed a war, now is the only moment of peace we have in a long time and you are willing to sacrifice all of that for a girl?!"

"So according to you, I should leave my future wife alone to fight against all those demons, to fence herself against impossible odds."

"The amazons are fierce warriors."

"Nevertheless they are outnumber, and she is alone against that army… I promised to take care of her, I promised to get to her as soon as I recover Gotham."

"That will only happen when you are the crowned king, that is yet to come to pass." Jim cleared his throat seeing the perplexed look on Bruce's face, that was quickly turning into a boiling frustration, and continue "Cai was taken by surprised by your sudden appearance at court, but that doesn't mean he is not plotting against you, he will use your absence, your calling to war as a tool to rally all against you, if he cannot have the crown he is capable of destroying the monarchy, he may call of a great council or if things get to the worse, even tried a cup, we know he is already plotting something. You are still in a very precarious situation, and leaving now, and marching to war for a country that has not been our ally is exactly what he is waiting for, is the exact kind of pretext that will allow him to rise to power, cannot you see?"

"What I see is that my bride is in danger."

"Not much as many of the gothamities will be if you march to war. Right now you are the hope of the kingdom, a possibility for a better future, but what will become of you if you die in this rushed adventure or if you lose even despise an army at your disposal? This may be the spark that ignites a fire that not even all your royal blood could turn off."

"Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this matter James, now I want to be alone."

Jim wanted to said more, but when Bruce turned his back at him, he left defeated, and yet nearly at the door of the chamber he turned around and said to Bruce's back. "Bruce please think about the risks, if something happens to you...if you die."

"I won't" replied as a matter of fact Bruce.

"That, your grace is a privilege that has not invested upon you," replied Jim clipped before leaving the chamber.

Bruce was in shock by the way the conversation had escalated, and he stared at the window of the chamber brooding, when he heard a soft cough at the end of the room, it was Alfred.

Alfred have been observed Bruce quietly for some time, and he knew that behind his cold exterior was a frustration boiling inside of him, and of course, the semi-eternal anger that the prince had and that only subsided when he was with the princess of the Amazons.

"Are you going to try to convince me of not going to war, Alfred?"

"Me? No master Bruce, I have learned that once you made up your mind there is no way to stop you, however, Jim makes a point, entering that siege now is very dangerous."

"What am I supposed to do? Leave her alone in the middle of a war, what kind of fiancé would do that?"

"One that trust her betrothed."

"What?!" replied Bruce with indignation.

"Master Bruce the way I see it, you are doing this more for you than for her."

"Are you crazy? " responded Bruce completely outraged, "how can you said that? When apparently I have everything to loose, at least according to Jim, if I go to war to help her, I might just as well loose my kingdom, whereas if I stay here I may loose her," he replied again with a hint of despair.

"Really, is that the only reason you are doing this? It seems to me that you are doing this to prove something to yourself, yes she is going to war, in a very difficult situation some may even say impossible, however, from what I understand, she is an expert warrior, strong and intelligent enough to defeat an army… and yet you are rushing to help her as if she were a damsel in distress, a fragile girl, who had never hold a sword in her life, or enter the fray of a battle, maybe other would believe that argument, but anybody whom had seen her fight or who had witness how powerful she is would laugh about it. So tell me what do you want to prove? Are you doing this crusade because you want to help her, or because you are insecure about yourself? Think about it master Bruce, because you are not only gambling your kingdom, but also the future of your relation. Tell me, did she expressly ask for you help?"

"No."

"Then there is your answer."

Bruce did not say another word, but that night he did not sleep. He agonized about the idea of going to war for Diana, or trying to rule Gotham, both options seem impossible for him and he felt torn. If he decided to fight for Themyscira he risk a mutiny, instigated by Cai, and if he did not help Diana he might lost the love of his life.

* * *

He shut his eyes close and his memory travelled to a simpler time, when he was just a boy and his parents were alive, he remember the first time he knew he had fallen in love, even when he did not know then the name of that feeling yet.

At eleven, girls were odd creatures, he barely remembered talking to one outside the constrictions of the court and even then things followed a very strict protocol. The girls he had meet up until that point were either royals or servants, they did not fence or practice archery, they only quilt and saw, some sing and others play instruments, even some of them could not read, and even then the ones that could, were not allowed to read some books.

If by any chance he happened to encounter a girl outside the Court it was brief and usually awkward, most of the time the girls blush or giggle at his presence, so at 11 he had learned that the best way to behave around the girls was to nod with courtesy and leave, disappearing as fast as he could.

Diana was an exception. He always seemed to be drawn to her, not once he wanted to run away from her. She could fence; fight and she loved to climb to the trees as much as him. She had an inquisitive mind, and they often discussed many subjects. However, he could not pint point the strange feeling he had whenever she was near, it was a mix of excitement and happiness. And more than anything he wanted to impress her.

He remembered as clear as if it had just happened. He was running towards the meadows, feeling the wind on his cheeks, he was anxious as he approached the old hut where she was. Diana was in front of the hut, playing with her wolves, and he could not wait to take her to the special place he wanted to show her for days.

"Are you ready?"

"Is this the day when you are going to show me your magic tree?"

"There is not such a thing as magic, it's just a special tree. The tallest one in the forest."

"Is that because it's so special, because it's high?"

"I used to climb up to the top whenever my father was away at war or far away in one of his travels, from there I was able to see if he and his guard were approaching. It made me happy, knowing he was finally home, safe and sound," he said to his own surprise because he had never share that with anyone before.

"When we get there, you have to show me that sight first." She said, smiling and resting her hand on his shoulder, and a brief jolt of electricity pass through him, it was fleeting, but her touch leave a tingling sensation he had never felt before, a warm pleasant feeling, totally new that startled him.

"ok, let's go. It's getting late."

They ran with the wolves at their side. He could not remember the conversation now only that they keep laughing and bickering, the weather was perfect and he was so glad the sun was high and not a cloud in the sky, because when they reached his favourite oak.

"A race to the top?"

"Sure!"

"Prepare to lose."

"In your dreams, Bruce!"

They climbed the highest oak in the woods just when the sun was setting in the east, the rays of orange and pink light washed over them.

"It's beautiful" said Diana, contemplating the country side of Gotham and its hills, at the same time the sun tinted everything in shades of red and pink.

"Yes, " replied Bruce proud that his friend had found Gotham's beauty, and then he turned around to look at her, she looked so radiant bathe in the soft light of the golden sun, but there was something else to her beauty, something ethereal that was not human and that took his breath away, he blinked mesmerized by what he saw and then another small miracle happen, she smiled at him, and he could swore time stopped. In that moment, a feeling of happiness took over him, and he realized that he could do anything to make Diana happy because her joy was his bliss, and he wanted to preserve that emotion forever. In that instant, he comprehended to his own shock, that he would go to great lengths because of that sentiment.

* * *

Clark entered the Gotham palace, with ease although, intimately, he was still intimidated by its splendour, the war had barely touch it, a sharp contrast to Kandor that was a still hashes and ruins, the Wayne's ancestral home, was still as elegant and luxurious as he remembered when he visited it years ago. However, the circumstances could not be more different now, the moment he announced his present at court wearing the antique armour of his father, emblazed on the herald of the house of El, and announced himself as the prince of Kryption, the men and women at Gotham court started to gossip and that introduced Clark to a new series of human reactions, from surprise to doubt to malice, he thought he had seen them all, now all those lords and ladies, smirked behind his back, and called him a beggar prince.

Although he had seen Bruce without the mask, and his face clean of scars, the vision of him clad in a royal attire was still a little bit of a shock, and he remembered when he meet him for the first time, a prince with immense sadness.

"Your grace," Bruce turned around to see Clark, and then an idea came to his mind, "There is not need for that formality Clark, specially among equals," said Bruce with a friendly tone that left Clark astonished, "after all you are a prince and the future king of Krypton. How are things in Kandor?"

"Slow, although I did my best to restore Rao's temple and the royal Palace, but still there is so much to do…In fact that is the reason why I'm here…After Kandor was destroyed I understand that your parents gave refugee to some kryptonians, and they established a community, I would like to invite them to Kandor…"

"Clark, I'am sorry that community disappeared, remember the fire?"

"That town that we rescued form the flames were them?" replied Clark with sorrow

"They tried to be help Gotham against the oppression, I know some of them survived, but after we left them in the cave, that they went into hiding, I do not know where they are."

"I will find them."

"I will help you." Said Bruce, and in that moment, his mind went to Diana, what would his princess say when she found out that, and then he thought about her fighting against Ares and his minions, and his fist clench involuntary.

"There is something wrong Bruce?"

"Nothing."

"You look upset. Is it Diana?"

"She's alone fighting against those monsters, with only 300 mighty amazons at her side, against an army of 3,000 men and more waiting to arrive, while I'am here a prince regent of the most powerful kingdom in the world, lost in the bureaucracy of being able to decide whether or not I can send tropes there."

"Perhaps you should get ride of the bureaucrats."

"I'm not a king yet, unlike you."

"Yes, I guess I have an advantage there. I can go wherever I want to...Bruce I can take you to Themyscira, and together we can help Diana."

"It's only the two of us."

"I have been training all my life to become a soldier, I can help, and you are a great warrior too, together we can help Diana, and maybe we do not need and army to defeat Ares and his minions."

"When do we leave?"

* * *

**Diana**

She had heard stories about how lovers who could sense the presence of each other, even thousands of yards away, even in the darkness, even if they were deprived of any other sense, as if they had their own particular compass always pointing in the direction of the beloved, as if that person had become the north. She did not believe in those stories, they were so absurd and unreal; tales to ensure that women would remain dependent forever in a cultural dominated patriarch world. And yet, now in the middle of a battle, she could sense him, even in all the mess of bodies and the rain of arrows, she knew he was there, as if he were calling her name. So when she turned her head, she saw him, right across the yard, his handsome face partially hidden by his bat helmet, enveloped in dark armour with faintly embroiled "W"'s of the House of Wayne. Everything around her seemed to slow down and there was nothing more that him, and when he turned around and looked his icy blue eyes on her, she ran towards him, fighting against every one of Ares' soldiers that were in her way. She fought with a ferocity she had never recognized in herself, it was the desperation of seeing him so close and yet so far.

He fought against those soldiers viciously, he did note even care if they were dead or just wounded, in that moment for him, they were not an enemy, but an obstacle between him and the woman he love, and as they got closer, he become more aggressive and cruel towards them, as if they were a reminder of how far she was out if his grasp.

After they finally ended the last soldier in their way, they embraced. He kissed her with passion, raw and possessive, desperate and tender, she responded with equal emotions and hunger, and the moment the broke away to get air, he looked at her and he once again got lost in her eyes, but the happiness in the middle of a battlefield is brief and futile. A flaming arrow came straight into their direction as a harsh reminder of the dangers of the battle; they turned their backs against each other ready to fight again the battalion of men that were surrounding them. A carnage unsuited and the were in the middle of a twister of arrows, limbs and swords, he acted by instinct and fuelled by the desire of end all this, but then in the middle of the battle field, a shadow appear, a large man in a golden armour entered the field and the foot soldiers that were so eagerly attacking them before, just stopped.

"Why I'm not surprised to see you here, mortal? You seemed so desperately attached to her, trying to win her love like a sick puppy, it's a shame, I could end you quickly as a mercy, but what would be the fun on that? Specially when I can make her watch your suffering" said Ares with a wicked smile, and unfolded his flaming sword, directing it at Bruce. It was fast, faster that Bruce ever anticipated, he realized that weapon was not a mere sword, but something divine, his mind to slow to process everything that happened around him. He just found Diana next to him, almost as if she had materialized from thin air, her sword blocking Area blow.

"So they gave you the sword of Orion? It's wasted in you…I cannot see why everybody in the Olympus seems so driven to think you are special, you are nothing." replied Ares trusting his sword against her while Bruce watched astonished how the swords clashed against each other at such a speed he barely saw more than lightings in the air. But then he felt it, a jolt of fire near his neck, by instinct he retreated, but it seemed to move faster than him.

"Bruce!" Diana shouted and as the world seemed to slow down, Ares' blade was near his throat, she throw her lasso trying to stop the blade that was about to cut the life of the man she loved, but that only seemed to infuriated Ares, he took the lasso and with all his forces, he pull Diana to his side, and even as she resisted the God of War was very powerful. Bruce intervened trying to protect Diana, but she went forward, blocking Ares blows with her bracelets.

Hippolyta watched the scene with horror from the distance and from her perspective; Diana was in the middle of a fight with Ares and one of his minions, a creature clad in a dark armour who was trying to get a hold on her daughter from behind. Without thinking more she use her bow and throw an arrow, with the aim in the dark knight, and started to run to Diana's aide.


	32. Love is madness

 

Ares was elated, he was in his element, with each blow and aggression, with each dead he became stronger, he felt reinvigorated just being among the soldiers and even the aroma of the battlefield give him power, so he started to feel invincible, after all, in the past days his troops had managed to reduce the Amazons' positions to a minimum; there was very little space in the island that was not already taken by his troops, even though those women were still fighting, still making difficult to gain even an inch of that rocky and green terrain, he could see his victory was close, since so far everything went according to his plan: he got ride of most of those annoying Olympians, just left a scared few, whom now feared him and will do nothing to interfere with any of his conquests, as for his father, he was so caught up in his personal war with Hades that he never saw him coming, he never wanted to believe that his son would be capable of outsmarting him, but here he was, on the verge of destroying Themyscira and end the era of the Olympians. Hades and Zeus had cancel each other, leaving him to rule the earth, in a perpetual war that will make him even more powerful.

So in the end, who cared if Hippolyta rejected him, he would have plenty of opportunities to find another lover or even if he really tried he could make Hippolyta beg for him, he just need to end those stubborn Amazons and with them the last resource of Olympian faith.

He was contemplating the battle absorb in those ideas when he saw Diana's golden armour making her look like a bolt of lighting, so shiny it made her a perfect target, and yet his soldiers did not seem to hurt her or stopped her. He was about to send all his troops where she was on the battlefield when a dark shadow covered the land, and he felt a chill down his spine. "Hades", he whispered before taking his sword and plunged into battle.

At first, he tried to reach the elusive god of the underworld, but then something else caught his eye, the figure of a flying being clad head to tow in a blue and red armour, he was immensely powerful, just a brief touch and he knock an elephant warrior, and he was not even trying, he knew that because behind the helmet he could see the boy who Darkside used to have by his side. His soldiers, already were scared and started to gathered around him, trying to subdue him by the pure sheer of their numbers to little or none effect, the blades and arrows bounce off his chest, and he used his heat vision to destroy any barricades or rocks the catapults throw at him. At one moment a whole battalion tried to tackle him, but eventually he got ride of them, tossed them through the air like leafs blown by the wind.

Ares was now furious and about to get into battle with the kryptonian, when he saw her again just a few yards from him, locked in a embrace with a dark knight who was wearing a bat helmet, and he decided to seize the opportunity to kill Diana.

He rush to face her, but the dark knight blocked his first attack, Ares was surprised by how a mere mortal could even stop his blow, and then he recognized him, it was the same boy he had meet six years ago, when the shepiliades took Diana, he smiled "Good, two for one" he said, and then with a single hand move, send the mortal swinging various yards away. Then he focused on Diana again and unleashed his repressed fury, delivering mortal blows with his flaming sword that Diana skillfully avoided. He was becoming more frustrated with the way the Amazon was fighting him, when he saw by the corner of his eyes a glimpse of light coming in his direction.

Among the many advantages of being a God is that time is plastic, fluid... a second can last an eternity, So although Ares was fighting Diana, he could also see with clarity both the dark knight heading again towards him while an silver arrow was flying through the field in his direction, and for a moment he was going to ignore the later when he look up and saw Hippolyta at the distance, with her arm still holding a bow, and he knew she had draw that arrow, what happened after that was so fast, it appeared as magic, he simply push the body of the young Amazon, making her move just enough for the arrow to pierce her. And he smiled when he saw the pain reflected in Diana's face, if his calculations were right; the arrow had penetrated through the armour right into her lungs.

He was ready to deliver the final blow to the Amazon, but they were fighting at such close range, he only plunged his flaming sword into her abdomen, the invulnerable armour still holding. Although with every twist a little less, he could feel the divine metal fighting but giving up an inch, tearing the flesh off the demigoddess inside. In spite of the agonizing pain, Diana managed to thrust her sword on his side, and she felt how the blade was piecing him right under the armpit, nearly the only place uncovered by the armor. She kept pushing the blade, even when she was on severe pain, feeling the arrow piercing her lung, and Ares flaming sword burning her inside. But Diana kept pushing even when the world around seemed to fade away, and the pain inflected by both the arrow and the flaming sword were so unbearable she felt like screaming and crying, but instead she just kept fighting, tossing her sword further and further until her own hand was inside Ares, and then everything turned black. Diana collapsed on the ground with Ares on top of her, the god of war was wounded, but so was the Amazon warrior.

Bruce watched the scene unfold in front of his eyes, "Diana!" he screamed at the same time he tried to push the body of Ares away from her, so he could extract her from that rumble. But then something grabbed his ankle with such force it made him fall. He was trying to get up when he saw the God of war, wounded but still alive, as an instinct Bruce reached for a sword and saw Ares ripping his from Diana's body.

" You have...a long overdue fight...with me mortal" said Ares panting, but holding his sword.

Bruce did not respond, just plunged his sword with hate towards the body of the god.

"This is nothing to me mortal, when are you going to learn?..." Ares said while laughing, but his laugh froze as a dark shadow passed by his neck and cut his head off, his body follow suit crumbling into the ground, reveling Hades behind him, the God of the underworld decapitated Ares using with shadow sword, but it was already late. Bruce didn't care; he was focus on taking the arrow from Diana's back and trying to use his medicine to heal the wound from Ares' sword. But it was uselessness she was there immobile.

Hades kneel next to the body of his daughter, "My little girl, what have you done? What has he done to you?" he asked to her with sweetness out of place with his true demoniac face.

"She is wounded. She needs a doctor " said Bruce and he felt just like a child again when he talked to Hades for the first time and reproached him his lack of support.

Hades took Diana's limped body and carried her away, while Ares' head lay on the ground, his sardonic smile still in place while his eyes devoid of life keep looking at Bruce.

"What are you doing?" asked Bruce desperately, "she needs a doctor!"

" I would take her to the only place where she belongs now: the underworld."

"No, she is not dead..."

"You know nothing boy", said Hades and with that words the God of the underworld vanished, taking Diana with him.

"Noooo!" resounded in the field the scream of Bruce, like the primal yell of a wounded beast.

And in that moment, all of Ares minions retreated, while Bruce ran across the battlefield debriefs, in pursue of Hades, but it was too late, he was nowhere to be found. The hours passed, and in the end, Clark used almost all his force to drag him back to Gotham.

 

* * *

**Bruce**

"If is the worst word in the world " thought Bruce, If he were faster, stronger or even wiser he would foreseen all that happened, he could prevent it, and she would be right now with him. 

He had call her name when he watched her plummeted to the ground, and his anger grew a tenfold when he saw the viscous smile of Ares. 

Hades arrived a second later as if materialized from thin air and transformed in the true face of a demon so terrifying many of Ares foot soldiers ran. He then decapitated Ares using his shadow sword, but it was already too late, she was there immobile.

The rest was a blur to him, he clanged to Diana's body and if not for the supernatural force of Hades he wouldn't let her go. Hippolyta was in shock and kept sending arrows to the now inert body of Ares. 

He returned to Gotham taken by Clark, and spent days in full darkness. His crowing ceremony came and he did not remember any of it. He made a superior effort to sleep but over and over he could only see her dying. It was unbearable. He became so angry with life, even with her and her stupid gods, with her perfect moral code and optimistic vision of life that made her went into a battle for a lost cause; but he was specially furious with himself for all the wasted opportunities he had to spend more time with her. His fury was simmering inside, growing each day, turning into thunder. 

He did not smile anymore; happiness was an alien emotion to him. Her memory hurt so deeply that it threaten to become a physically impeachment. To dull the pain, he turned to the only constant in his life: Gotham.

He spent long hours working on every aspect of the kingdom from dawn until dusk and he went out every night to patrol the city as Batman, punishing thieves and rappers. He started to live a double life, a King by day and a dangerous vigilante by night.

However, despite all the just causes he supported as a King, and all the innocents he saved as Batman, his heart could not find joy and he kept brooding all the time, his frustration and anger took a new obsessive target: vengeance against the man who was behind the murder of his parents.

Alfred was deeply worried about him. After all Bruce was only 18 years old, too young to be so consumed with hatred, and he saw how his soul would soon be devoured by the darkness. He could see how he was turning into a cold, detached and even cruel men. And didn't know what to do. 

Bruce's plan for revenge was simple: using Cai's own ambition against him, taunting him with what he desired more than anything else in the world: power.

* * *

 

**Diana**

She was falling, drowning in a sea of immense darkness. She was gasping for air, her arms trying to swim to reach an invisible surface, feeling how the liquid entered into her lounges, filling them, like lead that only made her sink with each gasp a little more. Her mind was racing on how to get out of a, but the forces of her body were leaving her. She was sure this was her end, when she felt a strong hand reaching for her, pulling her out of the dark ocean that surrendered her, and a voice was calling her name.

"Bruce" she screamed in the hope to see his face, but instead it was Hades looking straight at her. His eyes darkened in spite of his smile.

"It's good to have you back.”

"Father, what happened? Where am I?"

"You are you belong. Now rest."

Diana felt asleep immediately. Hades contemplated her, the wound that Ares inflected in her with his sword, have healed and there was just a faint mark that would be gone in a few days, but the real scar, the one invisible to the eyes was already there and would not disappear. She had died and he had to use all his might to rescue her from the Elysium fields.

Tired, he retreat to his chambers walking slowly through the large and somber halls of the palace, to his secret room, the same with the large magical mirror that served as a door to Themyscira. He did not blink when he saw Hippolyta already waiting for him on the other side.

"How is she?"

"Better. The worst is already passed."

"Indeed, what can be worst than my sun and stars dying."

"She is not dead anymore."

"Why I cannot see her? Is she an un-dead?"

"She is not a spectrum, she is still our Diana, I used all my powers to save her."

A silence extended between them, and Hippolyta finally broke it. "Thank you.”

"There is nothing to thank. I would gladly give my life for her, she is my only daughter.”

"When will she return to Themyscira?"

"Never"

"What! How you dare to kidnap her again taking advantage of her fragile condition? If you do not release her, I will go there and take her."

Hades smiled " with what forces Hippolyta? Most of your army is dead, besides you can't take her. "

"I can and I will "

"No, she cannot leave!"

"What did you do?"

"She was a demigoddess killed by a God, I had no choice ... I invested all my powers on her. She is now the goddess of the underworld, princess of the realm of the dead, bound to this land for the eternity."

"You...are the worst! You took advantage of the situation to drag her to your kingdom and slave her in there, just for you to get out of that wasted land. You proclaim to love her, but in the end you only wanted a replacement."

"I did what I have to do to save her. Now she will live forever, not as a spectrum but as a goddess, and soon she will be the queen of the underworld. It was her right since the day she born. "

" no! It was her choice and you took it away. Now she is a prisoner in your dead land; as a revenant she cannot leave, because the illusion of life would be broken, and she is powerless too... tell me can she heal other people's wounds and raise the undead to make them obey her commands; can she make the wind stop blowing and block the sun; can she...?

"No, not now but soon she will. When I fade away."

" You are never going to fade away."

"You are wrong, I'm already dying." He said stepping into the light. Hippolyta gasped against her will, because now in front of her was a less taller and grey haired man, with wrinkles around his eyes.

" Soon the transition will be complete. I promise you she will be as powerful as I was."

**Author's Note:**

> This story starts slow, it has more intrigue than action scenes but I hope you can give it a chance. Love to read all your comments on this chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement intended.


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